Falling for Fun

At Meadow View Growers in New Carlisle, Ohio, fall is an a-maze-ing time for customers. For five years the company has drawn in families with its popular corn MAiZE and other kid-friendly events. The festivities typically take place from Sept. 10 to Oct. 30.

Scott Robinson, Meadow View’s vice president and retail manager, said they started the promotion to increase traffic during a slow time. “The Christmas season hasn’t been growing for us for years,” Robinson said. “We were looking for something else we could do at a time of the year when it’s slower. We used to do a fall festival for one weekend. But you look at all the prep work you put into two days, you realize you could stretch it out. Now we have this thing that lasts for seven weekends. It has a longer season and it’s worth more of the work you put in.”

The corn maze remains Meadow View’s big draw. Other events include hay rides and a variety of activities in the Kidz Corral, where children can play in a sandbox full of corn kernels, crawl in tunnels and jump in straw. Bow-Wow-Ween is a recent addition to the festivities. This pet costume contest was enormously popular last year, and got Meadow View growers some free press in the local paper.

Are the increased footfalls worth all the extra effort? Robinson thinks so.

“It’s a slower time of the year, and it gives us something to promote,” he said. “Every year we work on trying to make it better; tweak things.”

And they also have a heck of a lot of fun.