Cornfield Mazes: A Maize Colored Maze of Maize

I don’t know about you, but whenever I see a field of maize my thoughts are automatically of Halloween and Halloween costums. But then again, cornfields also bring back other pleasant memories…

Wow! Maize is corn. Maize is yellow. One gets lost in a maze. Now, combine the three meanings of this homophone. Lost in a maize colored maze of maize? Surely this would not be for a claustrophobic or the directionally challenged such as myself.

First started in Philadelphia in 1993, the maze has become a popular and financially sound (hopefully, if marketed well enough) investment for the farmer. If you haven’t visited a maze yet, I hope this article encourages you to seek one out this Halloween season.

Each year around this time, the teens and young people at our church begin to talk about going to the maze. Because it has become so popular our church has now extended its yearly outing to anyone in the church that is accompanied by a parent. No one, but me, wants to miss the maze outing. I’ve never thought this was at all interesting. Why would someone want to go out into the cornfields and trample around? Having a need to be prepared and not wanting to be outdone, I began to research this new thing; the maze.

The Philadelphia maze started as a fundraiser for the victims of the flooding in that area. The maze was awarded the “World’s Largest Maze” in the Guinness Book of Records. Mazes are open from September through the Halloween season and the admitting cost is between 5 to 7 dollars per person.

Some farmers make their own maze, but the one our church group attended was professionally done by a maze designer and his trusty GPS. The design was from the Wizard of Oz and was about one acre in length.  A farmers cost can be upwards from 5K depending on how big you want your maze to be.

Before we went into the maze we were given a neat picture of it taken from the sky, directions out of the maze, a flag in case you get lost in the maze and instructions to follow while in the maze (do not trample the stalks down, etc.).

Once inside the maze, you are surrounded by yellow stalks. High yellow stalks. The really neat picture in my mind became, well, a maze. Go figure. I could hear kids laughing and running and guessing which way to go. About two and a half hours later, victory sounds resounded as some people had successfully made their way out of the way. Directions – Not! It had gotten dark and no one could read their directions.

I could hear some who had conquered the maze go back in for seconds. I myself was struggling. My partner and I were lost.  I’ll never know who it was I suppose, but someone decided it would be cool to grab an ankle through the corn. My ankle! Yikes! Now, it’s a haunted maze. I defied the one direction that I was given. I carefully went towards the sound of vehicles on the road. Straight! I was getting out of there.  And I did.

It sounds horrifying, but really, it was like visiting a haunted house. Would I go back again? Absolutely! It was a great experience. There was a couple just entering the maze as we were leaving. It was dark and they, like us, had no flashlights. After they had just gotten a little way into the maze, I gave a blood curdling witch’s howl. I could hear them giggling with feelings I had experienced myself about the time I realized that I was in too deep to go back.

Is it any wonder that my thoughts keep coming back to Halloween and Halloween costums.

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It is great to be a kid during Halloween. You get to have lots of candies from your neighbors that you will enjoy throughout the rest of the week. As a parent, you should know and teach your children some safety tips.

First, the Halloween costums you make or purchase must be flame resistant. Make sure that this is not too long because they could trip and fall. To check, make them walk around the house and ask if the length is okay.

When they are going out, make sure they have their loot bag in hand and labeled so no one will get it by mistake.

Never let your kids go trick or treating alone. They should be accompanied by an adult. If the parents can’t do it, assign someone older to go with them. You can also check if the neighborhood committee has plans to do this in groups so your child is able to go with them.

When your children go around the neighborhood, tell them never to knock or enter the house of someone they don’t know. They should only visit houses of people you or they know personally. If the house they are visiting has a lighted jack lantern, tell them not to go near it because their costume could catch fire if they get too close.

If the house they are going to does not have the porch light on, it means that no one is home so they should just move on.

They must also never accept candies from strangers since they may bump into a few of them while they are walking down the street.

So it is not too late, make sure that they go trick or treating only in the later afternoon or evening. If the sun has already gone down, tell them to only walk in streets that are well lit. Before they cross, make sure that they look both ways and walk. Never run.

As an added precaution, let your kids wear reflective tape or carry a flashlight so drivers will be able to see them when they are crossing the street.

With all the excitement going on, your kids might want to take some shortcuts to get to the next house. Since it is dark, tell them not to do it and just stick to the main road.

Your kids should also be given a few quarters or maybe a cellular phone. Who knows, they may need you to pick them up.

You should give specific instructions as to what time your children must return home. Once they arrive, welcome them and then examine all their goodies. You are not doing this to get your share of the loot but to check if these are safe to eat. There have been instances in the past where candies handed out were tainted and some kids ended up in the hospital. If you don’t want your child to be a victim, examine each one carefully. If everything checks out, give it back and let them enjoy it.

Halloween is supposed to be fun especially for the kids since it is not everyday that they can go out, wear a costume and bring home a lot of goodies. As a parent, make sure that you have done everything possible to make them understand the dangers of going out at night so they will be able to come home safely.

You don’t need to buy Halloween costums when you can make one yourself. What is even better is the fact that you don’t have to be a tailor or seamstress to sew it together. You just have to be creative and use whatever you have in your closet or get a few of these items from the thrift shop.

Using your imagination and putting different items together is much better than tossing a sheet over your head and saying you’re a ghost. Since Halloween doesn’t always have to be scary, think of other characters you can play like perhaps a clown, tin man, a pirate or a gorilla.

For a clown outfit, you should start by looking for a colorful pair of sweats pants. If you don’t have any, see if there is some other baggy clothing lying around. Since clowns have big buttons on their coveralls, use colorful mesh dish scrubbers which can be found in your kitchen or the grocery.

For your hair, get a wig because it will take more than a day to get off the color on your hair. Get some white makeup for your face and then find a pair of goofy shoes to complete the outfit.

We all know tin man from the wizard of Oz. To dress up just like him, you will see cardboard which will be most of your costume. To make yourself look like him, you can spray the cardboard with silver spray paint or attach aluminum foil all around it.

For your hat, see if there is an old funnel in the garage. You will need black shoes for your feet and silver eye shadow for your face. Another option will be to make your own make up using silver face makeup with cold cream and food coloring. Don’t forget to put black eyeliner to draw lines from the corners of your mouth to your chin.

Making a pirate costume is probably the simplest of them all. For this you will need a pair of black or brown hospital scrubs. You then cut the top portion as well as the sleeves to create a vest. To make it look good, sketch and skill and crossbones onto white felt then paste this on the back of vest.

Now put on a white shirt and just wear a pair of jeans. Since not all pirates have wear a hat, you can wear a bandana instead just like some of the characters in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Lastly, to be a gorilla, you will need a lot of black fur and then sew this up to your top and bottom. Since the mask is hard to make, it is best to just get the costume from the store.

Once you have finished planning what you are going to wear, it is time now to look at what accessories there are available. If there are none, then you have to buy it at a thrift shop or consignment store.

Making your own Halloween costums will surely save you a lot of money since most costumes cost more than $20 a set. The best part is that you don’t have to feel guilty when you decide to throw it away since you can probably make a new one the following year.

However there may be reasons where it is not possible for you to make your own Halloween costums. Maybe you do not have the time to spare, or you do not have the facilities. Whatever the reason, if you are looking to purchase your costume, I can highly recommend BuyCostumes.com – See the site for full details. BuyCostumes .com is the largest and most popular retailer of Halloween costumes on the internet with over 15,000 costumes and party products. I guarantee that with such a large variety they will have exactly what you are looking for. Also, not only do they have the largest selection, everything is top quality with a money back guarantee, and you wont beat their prices. Go on, you only have to click this link BuyCostumes.com – to check it out for yourself.

Who says wearing Halloween costums are just for kids. Modern celebration of Halloween includes Halloween parties that cater to the adult group. These parties are wild to say the least and definitely are not for children. The commercial market has jumped on this bandwagon (or was it they that created it?) and came up with adults Halloween costumes which is being patronized during this time of the year.

If we traced back the origin of Halloween, we will see that it has its roots on the practice of ancient Celtic culture of villagers donning masks and wearing macabre costumes during the 31st of October to scare the spirits of the dead which they believe are searching for people so posses.

Then when we became more civilized, wearing masks became a practice in masquerade balls held in the kings’ and queens’ courts. Hiding their appearances with often intricate, feather masks seem to be a noble tradition back then.

Then we move towards the modern times. Determining when exactly the practice of adults wearing Halloween costumes began may not be possible at this point but it has become an accepted practice and in fact has become a tradition in itself.

With regards to adults Halloween costumes, the level needs to be increased a little from children costumes. Imagine yourself with a white bed sheet draped over you head. Although, that can be quite funny among your group of friends but in parties that may not be such a great idea. Unless of course, you want to remain hidden and unnoticed during parties. But the point of the party is to socialize so if you’re going like a big ghost then better not go at all.

Be creative. If you’re going to make your own costumes there are a number of websites on the internet that gives suggestions and even guide you in how to make your own. If you can afford it, which you should since I assume you’re employed and making some money, you can rent a good costume. Buying one can be truly unnecessary unless you intend to use it the years to come.

A sexy Halloween costume is another story. There are a number of shops that sell these. Online stores also have these on their catalogues. You an actually see a whole catalogue dedicated for this kind of fashion wear.

Whether we like it or not, for some adults, Halloween costumes have become more of a fashion statement rather than a celebration of the event. I can’t say I agree with their philosophy but its best to let them be as long as they don’t bother me, I’m okay with it.

Adult Halloween parties often involve dancing, drinking and socializing. With this in mind, you might want to consider a costume that will not hinder your movements. A robot costume can be a sight to see but if you’re going to wear one, be prepared to ask someone to pour you a drink or even put the drink in your mouth.

Modern Halloween has become a fun event for kids and adults alike. Wearing Halloween costums is now an accepted practice among adults and Halloween parties catering to the above 18 age group have become quite popular. Adults Halloween costumes are already an accepted norm and in a way have become tradition in itself. Today, adults have something to look forward to during Halloween and I mean not trick-or-treating.