MAIZE QUEST 2003 This is corny fun for the whole family

The Statue of Liberty is the design for this year's corn maze.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
FREDONIA, Pa. -- Pilgram Farms at 190 Eich Road has found a way to combine entertainment with education.
Chris and Sandy Pilgram have opened Pilgram Farms-Maize Quest for the third consecutive year.
"American Heritage Adventure" is the theme of this year's 10-acre maze, carved from a field of more than 500,000 living cornstalks.
It features an outline of the Statue of Liberty as well as the stories of nine official flags that have flown over the United States of America.
"It's an interactive adventure," Pilgram said.
How it works
Visitors enter a command center to get briefed on their journey and pick up a game sheet with the storyline.
They enter the maze and answer questions about the flags at specific points to gain clues on how to work their way to the exit.
To make sure everyone finds their way out, people entering the maze are given a signal flag that they can wave to attract help from staff members, some of whom are also stationed inside the maze to give hints to the frustrated.
In addition to the maze, visitors to Pilgram Farms can take hayrides, participate in campfires or play in a kids' playground or on a mountain of straw.
Maze admission is $7 for adults; $5 for children ages 4-12; and free for kids 3 and under. Group rates also are available.
Maize Quest hours
It is open now through Nov. 16. Hours are 5 to 11 p.m. on Fridays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.
Friday and Saturday are Flashlight Nights, in which participants are encouraged to bring their own flashlights to work through the maze after dark.
Pilgram Farms is a grain and beef farm, and the Pilgrams, interested in agricultural education, opened their first Maize Quest cornfield in 2001 to bring visitors, especially children and families, to the farm.
For more information, call (724) 253-2003 or check out the Web site at www.pilgramfarms.com.
gwin@vindy.com