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People & Culture

Manitoba farmer creates intricate Canada 150 corn maze

What better way to celebrate the nation’s sesquentennial than getting lost in a field of corn?
  • Aug 28, 2017
  • 283 words
  • 2 minutes
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As part of Canada’s sesquicentennial celebrations, the Great Trail is set to be completed in 2017, linking ocean to ocean to ocean. But people seeking a less physically demanding way to walk across the country can opt to navigate a Canada-shaped corn maze instead. Deer Meadow Farm near Winnipeg, Man. has constructed a corn maze shaped like a map of Canada to celebrate the nation’s landmark birthday. The maze is the largest the farm has ever created, and includes provincial tributes such as the Parliament buildings in Ontario, a beaver in Northern Quebec, and an oil well in Alberta.

Here, farm owner Vince Rattai comments on his patriotic project.

On the visitor experience

Visitors can come out to the country and see eight to ten feet tall corn. It’s 9.1-acres, and it usually takes about a half hour to 45 minutes. You can get pretty lost in it. Usually we have trivia signs that are posted throughout the maze about Canadian history, geography, and things that relate to Canada.

On Canada 150

It was mostly my wife pushing for the Canada 150 idea. It’s a hard theme to ignore. We always look for things that are worth celebrating. We’ve done a John Deere maze, Winnipeg Jets, and we did a Winnipeg Blue Bomber’s maze.

On this year’s challenges

We’re moving our entire farm so that’s been a difficult undertaking. We had to work at the old place while getting the new place going, and it took us two and a half days to cut the maze in the worst heat in July. Every maze is a challenge to deal with, but this one is bigger and the corn was taller when we were cutting it.

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The Waterloo County Corn Maze in Crosshill, Ont., spelled out “Canada” last year.

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