How do we choose a maze design?

One of the questions we get asked every year is, "How do you decide what your corn maze will look like?"

The answer is pretty simple.

When we started Fresh Acres in 2018, we decided we wanted each year's maze to tell a story. Rather than choosing random themes, we made the decision to celebrate an important anniversary each year. It gives each maze a purpose, makes every season unique, and gives our guests something new to discover when they visit.

Some years, choosing a theme is easy. Other years, it takes quite a bit of brainstorming.

For our very first maze, the decision came somewhat naturally. Since 2018 marked the 100th Anniversary of 4H in Wright County, Minnesota, and given our kids were already pretty involved in the 4H program, we thought it would be a great way to celebrate an organization that has meant so much to agriculture and rural communities. That maze set the tone for everything that followed.

Not every idea makes it into the field, though.

One year, we wanted to celebrate Target's anniversary. Since Zeke and I met while working at Target, we thought it would be a fun way to tell a small piece of our own story while recognizing a Minnesota company.

Before moving forward, Zeke contacted Target's corporate office to learn what would be required. That's when we learned an important lesson about copyrights and trademarks. Our maze designer also explained that using protected logos and artwork without permission could create legal issues-even after the maze had been cut.

The last thing we wanted was to spend months planning and cutting a maze only to be asked to remove it before openingng day. We quickly crossed the idea off the list and went back to brainstorming.

Those conversations happen almost every year. We toss around ideas, research upcoming anniversaries, consider what might be meaningful to our guests, and imagine how each concept might look from the air. Some ideas sound great at first but don't translate to a maze. Others become even better once we start sketching them out.

Looking back, it's been fun to see how each maze tells the story of a different milestone.

Our Corn Maze Themes throughout the Years

• Year 1 - 2018 - 100th Anniversary of 4H in Wright County, MN

• Year 2 - 2019 - 100th Anniversary of the NFL

• Year 3 - 2020 - 20th Anniversary of the Monarch Butterfly becoming Minnesota's State Butterfly

• Year 4 - 2021 - 20th Anniversary of September 11, 2001

• Year 5 - 2022 - 5th Anniversary of Fresh Acres!

• Year 6 - 2023 - 50th Anniversary of Charlotte's Web (the movie)

• Year 7 - 2024 - 85th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz (the movie)

• Year 8 - 2025 - 250th Anniversary of the US Army

• Year 9 - 2026 - 250th Anniversary of the U.S.A.

As we begin planning future seasons, we're always looking for meaningful anniversaries and creative ideas that would make a memorable maze.

Have an idea for a future Fresh Acres corn maze? We'd love to hear it! Share your suggestion with us on social media or during your next visit. Your idea might inspire a future maze.