Corny conundrum

With the turning of the leaves, tourists

descend upon the quiet community of

Godfrey, Ill., for some good, old-fashioned,

down-home fun. Seven acres of cornstalks

manicured into two intricate mazes attract

upward of 15,000 people each fall.

This downstate phenomenon now boasts

seven years of history under its (corn) belt

and the future looks healthy, indeed. The

Great Godfrey Maze draws kids on field trips

or educational outings, senior church-bus

tours, teens looking for a great hangout,

curiosity-seekers and maze aficionados.

Military brigades such as the 458th

Transportation Detachment of the U.S.

Army Reserve based in nearby Belleville

have stopped by for a little combat practice.

On one visit a couple of years

ago, reservists were led by a sergeant

so short her head couldn't be seen

above the corn tassels. "Do you

need a snorkel?" one gutsy private

asked her.

They threaded their way

through the maze on a sloppy,

wet day carrying backpacks

filled with rocks to complete

a training exercise.

We can only imagine what

Visitors must have thought

when camouflaged infantrymen

lunged out of

alleys on the two pathways

that take civilians

about 45 minutes to complete

(the reservists did the

maze in 15 minutes, flat).

If the Army thinks the

maze is good enough for

field maneuvers, can teachers

be far behind? Not likely.

Young children romp around the maze,

but older kids get serious challenges there.

They learn the history of corn, study the

sociology of the family farm, complete math

exercises on the business of farming and

turn to corn games for some R & R when

their collective brains reach saturation.

"We like to play a little Sinatra for the kids

when they visit because we know they think

it's corny," said Greg Adams, a local middle

school teacher, with a touch of the devil in

his voice.

To help visitors navigate the maze during

its annual two-month run, volunteers (lovingly

known as the Corn Cops) point the

way toward an astonishing array of paths

and curves that make artistic magic when

viewed from above.

Two distinct, 7-foot-wide paths are

forged each year. Those who challenge

themselves to trek walkways

edged by 10-foot-tall banks of

cornstalks can choose from the 15-

minute short route or the two-hour

mother lode, a daunting journey

that takes a year to plan.

Top secret

Deciding to establish an

attraction such as the Great

Godfrey Maze is a collective

labor of love for the

small town nestled against

the state's southwest border.

Each year, there's great

excitement leading to the

announcement of the theme

chosen for the maze. The

legends and lore of the area

weigh heavily on the minds of

planners when they choose a

subject.

For year one, the virgin plot of corn plantingswas

groomed into a Piasa bird, a giant,

mythical winged monster with the potential

to creep-out even those of us who kept

munching popcorn through the film "Signs."

"The Piasa bird image was painted on

nearby bluffs by American Indians centuries

ago because it was sacred to them," said

George Bryant, former Godfrey Parks and

Recreation director.

Bryant should know; he and Mayor Mike

Campion parented the maze concept and

together have turned it into an attraction

that's earned international recognition and

healthy revenue for the area.

Sticking with an avian theme, the 2001

maze featured a less frightening, more

majestic subject: the American bald eagle,

a proud bird with local significance for the

community.

Eagles are frequent visitors, Kimberly

Caughran, current parks director, said.

"They spend the winter flying along the

river bluffs of Godfrey-we're part of the

National Scenic Byway-so what better

way to welcome them back than with a

three-mile bas relief maze sculpted into the

shape of an eagle in flight?"

Given the profound impact of the Sept.

11 terrorist attacks on the nation in 2001,

the 2002 design took the shape of Lady

Liberty. Another saluted the Lewis and Clark

Bicentennial when the project's designers

depicted the explorers in a canoe traversing

undiscovered waterways.

Whatever the theme, it starts a process

that builds to a crescendo.The theme is

a closely guarded secret until the village's

annual Family Day celebration in July.

Everyone in attendance abandons box

lunches and hampers for the ceremonious

announcement of the just-picked subject

by its designer, an innovative dreamer with

plenty of tricks up his sleeve.

"We don't even tell our local media what

the topic of the maze will be until the last

minute," Caughran said. "People try all year

to find out what the new design will be, but

we don't leak a hint before we're ready to

make the big announcement."

This year, it's all about the Wild, Wild West complete with lariat-wielding cowboy and a bucking horse spread across the seven acres of corn.

The element of surprise is a big part of the overall event, but it's also second nature to the maze mastermind, an unassuming youngster who has built an industry from the art of maze creation all around the country.

The maze builder

Let's say you want to build a maze in Southern Illinois. Who ya gonna call?

Likely the Yellow Pages won't yield a clue, but for Godfrey folks on a mission, the search bore fruit in the person of Brett Herbst, an innovative Brigham Young University agri-business graduate who created his first crop sculpture as a lark back in 1996.

A true cornophile, Herbst extols the virtues of this hardy plant while coming up with outlandish and out-of-this-world designs for clientele across the continent who are eager to have their fields carved into innovative shapes that "a-maze" even jaded spectators.

Ask him about the process and on some matters Herbst claims CIA-level security (that's Corn Intelligence Agency, of course), but he is willing to disclose a few secrets.

For Godfrey's annual planting, about 213 double-thick rows of corn are sown by the village's mayor about a month later than area plantings by local farmers. This ensures a crop that stays green for an extended period of time.

While waiting for the stalks to break ground, Herbst moves into action, using a computer to plot the design du jour. Devising the trails is the most time-consuming aspect of the project, Herbst said, but once the corn breaks ground, his team is ready to stake out the pattern.

At this point, mum's the word about the actual pruning methodology, but we can tell you that Herbst uses no helicopters or planes to figure out if paths are being cut successfully into the shapes he envisions. Consequently, you'll have to use your imagination to figure out how he winds up with a seamless three-mile labyrinth.

Now, here's a shocker: Until the entire project has been completed, Herbst doesn't take to the air to check it out. That kind of confidence is essential. After all, once you've carved a critical pathway, there's no regrowing the section.

Happily, Herbst doesn't launch this ambitious project alone. In addition to staffers, the mayor and parks director spend time out in the fields on "maze maintenance detail." They supervise the installation of bridges that span large sections of the ground puzzle, pluck weeds with machetes and devote as much time to cultivating the attraction as to the non-organic elements of the project. That's why visitors will find pristine restrooms and concession stands filled with goodies to sustain those who come for the maze experience and discover lots more to do.

Amazing extras

The corn is always planted at Glazebrook Park where the maze is just part of the action, so allow plenty of time to experience the sideshows. Bring a picnic or purchase food from the concession stand and enjoy it under the parks department's pavilion just off U.S. Route 67.

Cart your lures, rods and bait and enjoy fishing the lake adjacent to the maze. Depending upon the day or time you arrive, guided corn walks and contests might be on the menu.

Because new attractions are added every year, the Great Godfrey Maze auxiliary events have become as popular as the cornfield puzzle itself. You can helicopter over the maze during daylight on scheduled rides, and enjoy live country music, crafts and games during the annual Fall Corn Festival.

Perhaps you'd like to test your skills by shooting corn out of a cannon that uses compressed air to fire cobs at targets 100 to 200 feet away. "It's a blast -- pun intended -- and it only costs a dollar to fire off three shots," said Caughran.

For youngsters with more energy than focus, let 'em dive into a crib of shelled corn until they're too exhausted to ask for more.

Lost in corn

To experience the thrill of the corn maze at night, bring a flashlight.

"Trust me, it gets extremely dark out there, so we require visitors to bring not just flashlights, but their biggest badge of courage," says Bryant. "Our No. 1 concern is safety, so we have plenty of Corn Cops out in the maze to guide anyone who gets lost out there."

Don't have your own flashlight? You can purchase one for three bucks and leave the event with a useful souvenir.

The occasional guest does go missing in the maze. Most times the Corn Cops head out and find the wandering visitor, but in one case, the lost soul happened to be a Godfrey parks employee.

According to Bryant: "One of our people was working on getting the maze ready for our grand opening. He went in with a mower and after a while, we realized he hadn't come back. To add insult to injury, he also got a flat tire while he was out there. We began combing the maze, but the lost employee had vanished. At last, he came running out of the maze. 'George,' he told me when he finally emerged. 'I like to never got out of there.'"

If you go

Getting there: Godfrey is about 280 miles southwest of the Chicago suburbs; about 30 iles north of St. Louis,Mo.

Maze dates and rates: The Great Godfrey Maze is open from 6 to 10 p.m. Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and from 1 p.m.to dusk Sundays through Oct. 28 as well as from 10 a.m. to dusk Oct. 8. Admission costs $6 adults, $4 ages 6-11.

Contact: For general information and group reservations, call (618) 466-1483, ext. 1. To get the skinny on the season’s list of events,

choose ext. 4.vFestival: In addition to themaze, the Fall

Corn Festival celebrates the area’s farming heritage on Oct. 6.

Halloween season: Additional chills and thrills are added to the menu after dark during the Haunted Maze Oct. 12-14 and 19-28 when Godfrey’s annual Halloween Spooktacular takes place.

Tourist information: Contact the Alton Regional Convention andVisitors Bureau for tourist information on the region, including accommodations, dining and getaway packages,(800) 258-6645, www.visitalton.com.