Harvest Town Corn Maze opens for the season

by Rachel Hunter

Harvest Town Corn Maze, 1580 US-11, Gouverneur opened for the season this past weekend. There will be old-fashioned fun for the whole family every weekend until November 1, 2021.

The Harvest Town Corn Maze opened for the first time to the public on Labor Day weekend in 2020. After a successful first season, Owner Karl Bender (who also is the Owner/Professional Engineer at AOK Engineering, PLLC, in Gouverneur) alongside his family and friends decided to re-open the Harvest Town Corn Maze for the 2021 season – facilitating old-fashioned family fun for both the young and young-at-heart.

New to the Harvest Town Corn Maze this year is the construction of Wild West theme buildings to go along with a crowd-favorite, the Harvest Town Mine where people can mine for gems, coins and dinosaurs. Harvest Town’s Alex Bender and Chris Dillon gave the Gouverneur Tribune Press this week an in-depth look at the newest town development, which includes a Harvest Town Bank, Jail, Church and General Store.

“It is not completed yet, but it will have back tunnels where kids can sneak from one room to another, and into the jail cell,” Mr. Dillon said. “When we open up the bank one, it is going to have this huge vault door where kids can go in and out the vault with lots of possible props and gadgets. Over the next week or so, we will be adding more and more.”

Mr. Dillon added that they have been working nonstop for at least the past three weeks to construct the buildings in place.

But the creativity doesn’t stop there. In future years, Mr. Bender said that they hope to build a whole western town, complete with a road and everything. And then they hope to have newly developed sections with a pirate theme or a renaissance/fairy tale theme. With more ideas constantly pouring forth at how to grow Harvest Town Corn Maze, the Gouverneur community is sure to be impressed at all the latest developments at each annual visit(s).

Faithful readers of the Gouverneur Tribune Press will recall that Harvest Town Corn Maze is one of featured stops during the 2020 Gouverneur Chamber of Commerce sponsored Holiday Light Contest last December. The Harvest Town Corn Maze has plans to put on a light show this holiday season once again – but in 2021, it will highlight the Harvest Town Corn Maze’s new western theme buildings. For more information about the Gouverneur Chamber of Commerce, visit gouverneurchamber.net.

Also added to the fun at the Harvest Town Corn Maze this year is as follows: For a nominal additional rental cost of $5, Harvest Town visitors can rent two bumper balls for a total 10 minutes, which promises to be fun for all ages. “You can put them on and run into each other… and it is great fun,” Mr. Bender said. This is available on Saturdays and Sundays, 12 to 5 p.m.

Many improvements have also been made to the grounds. For example, grass has been planted in the Harvest Town Corn Maze this year to make it easier walking and a smoother ride for strollers, wheelchairs, etc.

The Harvest Town Corn Maze is open on Saturday and Sundays, 12 to 5 p.m. For an admission cost of $5 per person, fun includes the corn maze, glider ride, obstacle course, hayride and more. Additional rentals include: The bumper balls can be rented at a $5 charge for 10 minutes. All visitors can also pan for gems, coins and small dinosaurs at the Harvest Town Mine.

The Harvest Town Corn Maze is again featuring its haunted Corn Maze on Friday and Saturday nights, 7 to 11 p.m. The cost is $10 per person. All are invited to come in and get scared. While there is no choreographed theater production this year, all North Country community members are promised a good scare as there are a couple surprises in the corn maze at these times.

Concessions will also be available on site during all open hours.

With so much to see and do, there is never a better time to get out to the Harvest Town Corn Maze, 1580 US-11, Gouverneur, to check out all the old-fashioned family fun this fall. All are reminded that the Harvest Town Corn Maze is open weekends until November 1, 2021. For more information, check out to Harvest Town Corn Maze on Facebook.