Corn stalks, cool autumn air and getting lost. All this and more can be found at a brand new corn maze in Payson.
UVU started a new program this year to build bonds with local communities and alumni. Carol Walker, UVU’s community alumni program manager, approached the community of Payson about possibly hosting an event. The community jumped on the opportunity and suggested turning a local farmer’s corn field into a winding maze, said Jerri Alphin, director of alumni relations at UVU.
“Payson wanted to do a corn maze and when we came along and said we would like to have a celebration, they said, ‘Let’s do our corn maze around UVU,’ ” Alphin said.
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A large portion of the proceeds will go toward creating a UVU scholarship. The recipient will have to meet various criteria and must live in Payson. Because there are many students and alumni from UVU in Payson, the community has been extremely excited to help with this program, Walker said.
“It’s just a different way to raise money for a scholarship,” Walker said. “We will hopefully raise enough money for more than one scholarship.”
The proceeds won’t just benefit the scholarship program. Other portions will go to the cities of Payson and Elk Ridge, local community groups and clubs that run the corn maze for a night, and Guy Larson, the man who planted and plowed the corn field, Walker said.
The process to create the corn maze started nearly six months ago, Moore said. A lot of effort from the farmer, community members and UVU was required to make sure everything went smoothly. Moore said he has been heavily involved from the beginning. Not only has he attended committee meetings and tilled the field, but he has navigated the maze at least 15 times.
“After they laid up the GPS coordinates, I tilled it,” Moore said. “I guess you could say I was one of the first ones to go through it.”
Moore took a picture of Willy the Wolverine to city engineers, who plotted the design on the GPS and staked the picture out in the field, said Moore. When the area was staked out and the stalks grew to a mere six inches, Moore and others went in and tilled out the design.
While Payson has been one of the greatest contributors to the alumni program this year, UVU has paired with other smaller communities throughout Utah County to create relationships and scholarships, Alphin said. Each community sponsored an event, such as service projects or steak dinners, to help raise proceeds to go toward scholarships.
“The cool thing about this whole thing is that each community we are involved with has announced a UVU day,” Alphin said. “Payson chose to have it on the day they kicked off the corn maze as well as combine it with their annual golden onion day.”
The corn maze stalks are about eight feet tall and have been cross planted. Because of this, it is almost impossible to see through the maze, making it more challenging, Walker said.
“The response to the maze has been great so far and it is expected to only get greater as the nights get cooler and Halloween draws closer,” Walker said.
Several parties and events will take place over the next few weeks to encourage people to come out. Students are encouraged to go to the maze in groups, such as for family home evening or with a club, Walker said. A group discount is given for groups of 10 or more.
The corn maze is open until Oct. 31 on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 8 p.m. Additional dates and extended hours are planned for the future. The cost is $5 per person and there is a dollar discount for groups of 10 or more. Free on-site parking is available and various concessions for sale. The corn maze is located right after Exit 248 heading south on I-15.
