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Although mazes are an ancient idea, the cornfield variety
was introduced to Canada this year by Adrian Fisher, the world's
leading maze designer. And one family made the idea a reality
on their farm near Carman, Manitoba.
Named "Oscar," the dragon-shaped maze covered "about
five acres, and [had] almost two-and-a- half miles of trails,"
says farmer Alan Graham. He added that the number of paying visitors
had been "excellent" and that they had "a lot
of young people tour it."
The average time for someone to complete the maze, he estimates,
was roughly an hour. Because this was the first maze established
in Canada, there had been a number of visitors who had come from
out of the province to tour this new idea.
Although Adrian Fisher has been the designer of 135 mazes
since 1979, this was his only cornfield maze grown in Canada.
Others were located in five different time zones and included
locations in England and the United States.
Mazes date back to ancient Germany where they were used in
rituals to determine if apprentices had reached manhood. During
the early 1900's, wealthy private families added mazes to their
gardens for entertainment. This recreational idea has increased
dramatically and today more people than ever are building mazes.
Encouraged by the good response, Graham comments that he and
his wife "tentatively" expect to create a new maze
next year. He does not yet know the design and theme for next
year's maze, but he hopes that people will continue to come out
and "be amazed!" |
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