Saturday will be the perfect time to be corny — The third installment of the Sylvan Heights Corn Maze, sponsored by the Halifax County Convention & Visitors Bureau, opens Saturday.
The corn maze is located adjacent to Sylvan Heights Bird Park at 500 Sylvan Heights Park Way in Scotland Neck on land owned by Bruce Josey.
Katie Gipple Lubbock, Sylvan Heights graphic designer, created the design for this year’s maze, which features a flamingo, palm tree leaves and a toucan head.
“The Halifax County CVB is proud to sponsor this agri-tourism project, drawing even more visitors to Sylvan Heights and the Scotland Neck area,” said Lori Medlin, Halifax County CVB president and CEO. “We hope that some visiting ‘city slickers’ will take this opportunity to spend the day in North Carolina’s backyard.”
The corn maze will be open during regular park hours Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission to the corn maze is $2 per person, which is separate from regular park admission.
The maze will be open July 14 through October 31, ending with a Haunted Corn Maze for Halloween.
Throughout the corn maze are 15 numbered spots with letter clues to fill in a puzzle naming all six species of flamingo, adding more interactive and educational elements to the corn maze.
The Sylvan Heights Corn Maze is a community partnership project. The Halifax County Cooperative Extension office planted the cornfield with corn seed donated by Jimmy Shields of Monsanto.
Shields Fertilizer of Scotland Neck donated fertilizer for the crop and Coastal Agri-Business donated herbicides to keep pests at bay.
Halifax County Cooperative Extension coordinated cutting the design into the maze under the direction of Corn Specialist Dr. Ron Heiniger of North Carolina State University with the use of a mower donated by Southern Estates Landscaping.
Logan Josey and Katie Gipple Lubbock did aerial photography of the maze.
The Halifax County Convention & Visitors Bureau is the sponsor of the maze.
Visitors to the corn maze need follow just a few simple rules to make the experience fun and safe for everyone. Children 12 and under must be accompanied into the maze by an adult. No running, horseplay or destruction of property, including corn, corn stalks or other items in the maze. No pets, bicycles, four-wheelers or dirt bikes allowed. No smoking or open flames permitted.
Please stay on the cut paths – do not create short cuts, as they permanently damage the maze. Be courteous to others – do not scare people inside the corn maze.
Keep the maze clean and use trashcans provided. Use restrooms at the Sylvan Heights Bird Park Visitors Center.
If you get lost or want to leave the corn maze immediately, call the park at 252-826-3186 on your cell phone, and someone will find you and walk you out.
