Woodburn Independent Online

Bauman Farms' corn maze takes a hit

• By: Jason Horton  
• Published: 9/11/2009 2:13:23 PM

Photo Courtesy of Bauman Farms
A freak wind storm knocked down a good portion of Bauman Farms’ corn maze Sept. 6. This picture, taken from a hot air balloon after the storm, shows three different spots where the maze was wrecked. The middle, where a lookout was built, is unharmed and farm owner Barb Bauman says they will still be able to use a portion of the maze.

GERVAIS — Bauman Farm’s corn maze took the brunt of a Sept. 6 storm that left farm owner Barb Bauman perplexed.

“It was like a mini tornado hit our area,” she said.

“It was like the cloud just dropped and it knocked some of our other corn (over) but it was like it hit the corn maze head on. Everything else around tipped a little, but it just dropped the maze.”

Making the maze is a long, thought-out process and Bauman’s daughter, Sarah, put a lot of work into it. Now most of that work has gone for naught.

“It’s like a cross-stitch thing, all done by hand by Sarah. … It’s a lot of work,” Bauman said.
“People don’t realize how much work goes into it.”

The maze is popular amongst those who like to hike, or walk outdoors, Bauman said.

“You can spend two hours in the maze trying to find the right path,” she said.

Oddly, Bauman said, the center of the maze is still upright.

“We have built a lookout area in the middle of the maze and where that is, right in the middle of the five acres, that was OK,” she said. “Everything else has been flattened. It was like a mini Katrina hit.”

Bauman said they plant field corn for the maze, which is typically taller and stronger.

“We plant it thicker and in a grid so this wouldn’t happen, but it did and it’s huge,” she said.

No other part of the farm had any damage.

“We were worried about our peaches a mile away, but they were fine,” Bauman said. “It was like it just hit right here, just the maze. It’s like a crop circle.”

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