To amuse the masses, a maze amid maize

By THEO HELM chh@herald-sun.com; 918-1050
Chapel Hill Herald
Sunday, August 26, 2001
Final Edition
Front Section
Page 1

HILLSBOROUGH - "If you build it, he will come," a voice told Ray Kinsella in the movie "Field of Dreams." So he cleared his cornfield and built a baseball diamond.

David and Vickie McKee did not hear similar voices, but they cleared part of their 30 acres of corn to build two mazes that open to the public Friday and close with a Halloween celebration Oct. 31.

And the McKees hope many people will come to the mazes - one for children and one for adults - on their farm, Cedar Creek, about 10 miles north of Hillsborough on Kiger Road.

The mazes are part of what Vickie McKee calls "the newest and best in agri-entertainment," which also will feature a petting zoo, farm equipment on display and refreshments.

She first talked to her husband about building a maze a few years ago after seeing the idea in a farming magazine.

"I thought it would be fun," she said. "It gives the public a chance to come to a working farm and see how it works."

And seeing a farm firsthand helps to break the stereotype of dumb farmers that some people have, she said.

"Farmers are very intelligent," Vickie McKee said. "It takes a lot of hard work and backbone to keep a farm going."

Both the McKees were raised on farms: Vickie grew up on a dairy farm in southern Orange County, and Cedar Creek has been in David's family since the late 1700s.

And although David McKee grew tobacco for the past 25 years, this is the first year he hasn't planted it. Instead, he raised soybeans, corn and cattle.

"The tobacco situation has grown pretty slow," he said. "I'm not raising tobacco since the government cut back the allotments so much."

So along with planting corn for the first time this year, the McKees decided to open their farm to people looking for a mental challenge.

With their three sons, ages 17, 11 and 7, they cut and mowed the mazes themselves.

"They think it's pretty neat," Vickie McKee said of her sons. "We've had fun working as a family."

The children's maze they created includes more than just a few passages through a cornfield.

"They'll go through and look for different things in the maze," Vickie McKee said, including different colors and shapes.

Children also will learn more about plant life, she said.

"It gives a child the chance to actually look at the country and see where their food comes from," she said.

The 10-acre adult maze is considerably more complex. Although the first half is fairly simple, the second half is challenging, Vickie McKee said.

"That's where we were getting lost after we first cut it," she said.

Those with a poor sense of direction will have help. The McKees will provide directional maps, and an emergency exit halfway through the maze will allow an easy escape. "Corn Police" also will patrol the maze to help those who have lost their way.

David McKee said he already could have used the help of the Corn Police.

"I was in it the other afternoon mowing," he said. "I got crossed up and I had to get off and walk some of it. It gets you confused. I think it'll be a challenge to most people."

The height of the corn, which has grown 10 to 12 feet tall and will be harvested in November, adds to the difficulty.

"You pretty much don't see out of that corn once you get down on the path," David McKee said. "I don't remember having corn this tall for several years."

The maze includes eight checkpoints that people are encouraged to find. Every participant will receive a card that can be stamped at each checkpoint.

Vickie McKee said the smaller maze could take 30 minutes to complete, and the larger maze could take up to two hours if someone hits all the checkpoints. Those who hit all eight checkpoints will be eligible for a drawing to win $100 on Halloween.

The maze also will be haunted on Halloween. Although Vickie McKee is reluctant to give away any secrets about it, she promises it will be scary.

And David McKee said it doesn't take much to make the maze spookier than it already is.

"I've been out there working at night," he said. "It'll give you a funny feeling just walking out in the dark. It's pitch black when there's no moon."

Go & Do

Corn Maze

David and Vickie McKee's corn maze will be open weekends from Friday to Oct. 31. Hours will be 2 to 8 p.m. Fridays and Sundays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays.

Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for children 10 and under and free for children 3 and under.

To get to the Cedar Creek farm, travel north on N.C. 86 through Hillsborough. About a half mile after crossing U.S. 70, take N.C. 57 North and follow that road for about 9 miles. Take a right on Kiger Road. The farm is about 1 1/2 miles on the right.

Groups can schedule times to visit during the week by calling Vickie McKee at 732-8065.