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Corn maze opens in Moulton
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One Moulton family is urging people to get lost. For a little while, at least.

The Rocky Creek Maze, a seven-acre corn labyrinth open to the public, is gearing up for its second year, part-owner Elyse Chaloupka said.

“It was actually my husband’s idea,” she said. “We have a dairy farm and grow all our own corn. We thought this is something we’re going to add ... and hopefully add a little more income.”

The twisting, turning puzzle is a tribute to Texas music, according to a news release, and features an accordion, guitar, violin and cowboy hat. Musical notes and the logo for Hallettsville’s Texas Thunder radio station, the maze’s sponsor, are also intertwined.

Planning out an elaborate design takes time, Chaloupka said, and the family didn’t do it alone.

They enlisted help from The Maize, a Utah-based organization that touts itself as the world’s largest corn maze company.

“We belong to that group,” Chaloupka said. “We send in a design idea we’d like put into a maze and they help us.”

Last year, The Maize cut the pattern out for them, she explained, but they tried their hand this time around.

“This year, it took us about a week,” Chaloupka said, explaining they’ve all walked the design and know the pattern well. “We’ve learned a lot.”

They began the project months ago, she said, figuring out advertising and getting everything planned out. This batch of corn was planted the second week in August, she said, while the regular crops go out in February or March.

“We feel it will stay greener longer this time,” she said, explaining the corn is only at about three feet now, but should reach six feet soon. “Last year we planted it the first weekend in August, and it dried out toward the end.”

But the corn maze isn’t all the site offers.

The Chaloupka family has added a haunted sorghum maze that opens the second week in October.

“It’s more of a haunted trail,” Chaloupka said. “We’ll have a lot of spooky stuff as they just go through there.”

A hay slide, antique display and mini dairy farm, where children can learn about dairy farming, will be available.

Last year’s maze brought in about 6,500 visitors, along with 2,500 students and chaperones on field trips, Chaloupka said.

“We’re hoping we’ll have an increase this year,” she said.

She wasn’t sure exactly how much the project will cost, but said that, with rising fertilizer prices and the cost of running the other features, it won’t come cheap.

But it’s all worth it, Chaloupka said. The family enjoys running the events, and they’ve even considered expanding into a springtime maze.

The only thing that might get in the way – the weather.

Last year, the corn dried out and winds knocked some of the stalks down, she said.

“But that’s just one of those things,” she said. “You can’t change Mother Nature.”

If you go ...

When: The corn maze is open Sept. 26 through Nov. 30

Hours are from 5 to 9 p.m. on Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and from 2 to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Where: Just off Farm-to-Market Road 1295 at 184 County Road 251, eight miles east of Moulton

Cost: $9 for ages 12-64; $7 for ages 4-11; and free for those those 65 and up, and children 3 and under.

The haunted maze opens Oct. 10 and remains open Friday and Saturday nights. Admission is $3 plus the regular ticket price.

Discounts are available to groups of 20 or more, with reservations. Field trips are also available on weekdays, with a reservation.

For more information, visit Rocky Creek Maze’s Web site at www.RockyCreekMaze.com or call 361-798-6131 or 361-772-4718.

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