Cornbelly’s Corn Maze & Pumpkin Fest

It is being called the newest form of “agritainment”.

In a special outreach titled Space Farm 7, seven of the nation’s top agritourism farms have been selected to celebrate and honor the U.S. space program in collaboration with NASA this fall.

Each farm has planted corn mazes that will feature designs celebrating NASA’s achievements and progress in space. An increasingly popular phenomenon of crop circle-type creations, each of the seven corn mazes will open this fall to challenge and delight visitors.

For example, more than a thousand visitors turned out for the Kepler Mission-themed corn maze on Oct. 1, 2011, hosted by NASA and the Dell’Osso Family Farm of Lathrop, Calif.

The public explored and got “lost in space” inside the 20-acre corn maze which grew to approximately 10-feet tall. The maze was intricately cropped to display discoveries and images from the NASA Kepler mission that’s searching for extra-solar planets.

Vote for your favorite!

Participating farms include Belvedere Plantation in Fredericksburg, Virginia; Liberty Ridge Farm in Schaghticoke, New York; The Rock Ranch in Rock, Georgia; Vala’s Pumpkin Patch in Gretna, Nebraska; Dewberry Farm in Brookshire, Texas; Cornbelly’s Corn Maze & Pumpkin Fest in Lehi, Utah and Dell’Osso Family Farm in Lathrop, California.

All are associated with The MAiZE Inc., the world’s largest maze design company.

In addition, a contest is hosted on the Space Farm 7 website that gives you a chance to vote for your favorite maze.

The Prize?

Win 4 tickets to lunch with an astronaut and tour the Kennedy Space Center!

One winner will be randomly selected for the grand prize of 4 tickets to visit the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and 4 tickets to Lunch with an Astronaut! Winner will be contacted in November by email.

For you teachers…don’t forget to look at the Space Farm 7 materials for Kindergarten & 1st Grade Lessons & Activities; 2nd & 3rd Grade Lessons & Activities; 4th & 5th Grade Lessons & Activities; and Coloring & Activity Sheets.

Go to the special Space Farm 7 website:

http://www.spacefarm7.com/

By Leonard David