Corn Maze, Reimagined: From Puppet Parade Sketch to Go-Cart Track

It began as a doodle during the Giant Puppet Parade — a quick spiral sketched on a flyer — and the idea stuck. Over the summer, our Summer Fellows (armed with Stanford Design Thinking) turned that scribble into a plan.

The horses got busy, their bedding and manure becoming hot compost. We found heirloom seeds, coaxed the tractor awake, planted the first rows, and ran water lines. John — our anxious, devoted urban dad — checked soil and leaves like a new parent, tending every stalk with ridiculous care. Slowly, voilà: a corn field.

Then reality hit: the corn wasn’t tall enough for a walk-through maze unless you were under three feet. Instead of mourning the idea, we iterated. Pathways were reshaped, berms added, and the maze was reimagined for motion. Now it’s a go-kart and mini-bike track that threads between the stalks — the same sweet smell of earth, but with speed.

So bring your sense of wonder (and a helmet). Hop on a go-kart or mini-bike and take the corn maze for a spin.