Here today, milk later on: Valley corn maze returns to put smiles on faces

A popular attraction has returned to Kings County for the 20th year to puzzle and amaze visitors.

The Noggins Corner Farm corn maze in Greenwich opened Sept. 10 and will be in operation until the end of October.

This year the maze covers about three hectares. The theme is dinosaurs and Josh Oulton, one of the farm owners of the farm, said it promises to be fun and challenging.

"There's lots of little paths to get lost in heads of dinosaurs, and horns of dinosaurs that you can go the wrong way in," Oulton told CBC Radio's Information Morning Halifax host Portia Clark.

While 99.9 per cent of  visitors have fun in the maze, every now and then someone loses a wedding ring, Oulton said.

Lost items

While planting the corn for the maze earlier this year, Oulton discovered a bedraggled stuffed bunny in the field that seems to have been lost by a visiting child. He's still looking for the owner. 

Steve Gallant, the creator of the maze, said he has been cutting the Noggins Farm maze for about six years.

According to Gallant, he and Oulton work with a U.S. company to design it.

Once the digital files are received, global positioning technology guides the cutting, Gallant said.

He said he usually starts cutting the corn around July 1 while the corn is still small.

"It's much easier to cut a corn plant when it's six inches tall than when it's eight feet tall," he said.

"It takes about a day or so to cut all the paths."

No room for mistakes

Gallant said he's a bit of a perfectionist. He tries not to make mistakes when cutting the design because repairs aren't possible.

He said he has his own maze in New Brunswick and cuts four other mazes across the Maritimes, including Noggins Corner Farm. 

Oulton said Gallant has been cutting the maze for years. However, they have never met.

"I do the planting and growing the corn and then he shows up in there... all I see of him is his little GPS thing on top of his head and I see him driving through the field for a day and it's always funny," Oulton said.

Once the end of October rolls around, Oulton said the corn will be cut down and "turned into milk" by feeding it to his cows.

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