Get Lost for Cheeseburger at Depner's "Maze of Dreams"
Depner Farms is opening it's giant corn maze early this year, during Caseville's week-long Cheeseburger event. Gates will open daily (Aug. 10 - Aug. 18) at 10 a.m., with the last person admitted into the maze at 7 p.m. Fresh-squeezed lemonade, ice cream and other tasty treats will be available for purchase thanks to Bennett Concessions of Ubly. Hay rides and additional activities are also planned, weather permitting.
Depner's Corn Maze is hand-cut each year by agri-tourism entrepreneur, Dan Depner. This year's design theme is the "Maze of Dreams" which spans nearly eight acres and includes a crescent moon and falling star. Visitors will get "Lost and Corn-fused" while searching for hidden checkpoints and learning about real-life individuals who have achieved extraordinary dreams of their own. "We're really excited about our new theme this year and we're expecting a huge crowd here", says Depner. "We'd like to express to our guests that no dream, no matter how far-fetched it may seem, is unobtainable. With a little focus, hope and perseverance, anything is possible".
Depner Farms kicks off it's official Fall season on Friday August 31 (Labor Day weekend) at 10 a.m. and remains open extra late September 1st and 2nd for it's newly featured "Family Flashlight Maze". (flashlight required) Maze gates will be open each weekend during daylight hours for the rest of the season. Each Friday after Labor Day is "double-coupon day" and the "Family Flashlight Maze" will take place each Saturday night in October. Horse drawn wagon rides will be provided by Maplewood Farm of Kinde. Other Fall attractions may include concessions , hay rides, u-pick pumpkins, t-shirt sales, kiddie maze, family entertainment, demonstrations, and more - weather permitting. Also new this year, Christmas tree sales will begin in November.
Press Release #2
Everyone Stalking about Depner's "Maze of Dreams"
Depner Farms kicks off it's Fall season this Labor Day Weekend, and will be open extra late on Saturday and Sunday for it's first annual Labor Day Weekend Family Flashlight Maze.
Depner's "Corn Maze of Dreams", hand-cut and designed by Dan Depner, spans nearly eight acres and includes a crescent moon and falling star. Visitors will Get Lost and Corn-fused while searching for hidden checkpoints and learning about real-life individuals who have achieved extraordinary dreams. "Come on down to the farm and see what everyone stalking about", says Depner. "It's just good 'ol fashioned family fun in the country!"
Depner's Corn Maze is open each weekend (weather permitting) until the end of October. Each Friday after Labor Day is "double-coupon day" and the "Family Flashlight Maze" will take place each Saturday night in October. Fall attractions may include concessions , hay rides, horse-drawn wagon rides, u-pick pumpkins, t-shirt sales, soybean kiddie maze, family entertainment, demonstrations and more. Also new this year, Christmas tree sales (by appt.) in November and December.
Press Release #3
"Get Lost for a Cause" at Depner's "Maze of Dreams!"
Depner Farms in Caseville joins the Lance Armstrong Foundationís (LAF) fight against cancer by raising funds through "Get Lost for a Cause". Depner Farms is asking participants to visit the "Maze of Dreams" on Saturday October 27th and Sunday October 28th, 2007 (weather permitting) to show their support. Each checkpoint found in the maze will earn 25 cents (or $1.50 per ticket) for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, helping people affected by cancer. Direct donations can also be made via the web at www.DepnerFarms.com Concessions, kids games, activities and family entertainment are planned for this two-day event. Each participant gets an official "Livestrong" wrist-band. Visitors are invited (but not required) to wear Halloween costumes and regular admission fees apply. (see below) Raffle tickets are now on sale for $1.00 a piece and 100% of the ticket proceeds go to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Raffle prizes have been donated by area businesses to support the cause. Drawings will take place all weekend at Depner's Corn Maze. Winners do not need to be present to win.
Thanks to these area businesses who have generously donated the following raffle prize items in support of this fundraising event:
Esch's Landscaping - $25 gift certificate.
Frank's Party Store - T-Shirt, Campfire Pie Iron
Nugents Pharmacy - $15 In-Store Gift Certificates (Donated 3)
Elkton Golf Course - 9 Holes of Golf for 2 people
Rolando's - 1 Medium Pizza (Donated 2)
Trisch's Nail & Hair Design - Coupon for 1/2 hour relaxing massage
by Julie Aldridge.
In-Focus Photography, Steve Jias - 1 In-Studio sitting plus an 8 x
10 photo.
Lee's Landscaping - $25 gift certificate
Pigeon Hardware - $25 Gift Certificate
Bad Axe Theater - Movie Coupons for two persons. (Donated 2)
Mancino's - "All you Can Eat Pizza & Pasta Bar" for two.
(Donated 6)
Pizza Hut - Coupon for 1 Free Medium Pizza (Donated 4)
Little Caesars - Coupon for 1 Hot & Ready Pizza (Donated 2)
Longshot Lanes - $20.00 bowling gift certificate.
Pioneer Quick Lube - Free Oil change
Reading & Rhythm - $50 In-Store Gift Certificate
Hungry Howies - 2 Large Pizza's and 1 Howie Bread
Thumb Home Real Video - Free Video Rental (Donated 6)
Dairy Queen - Small Ice Cream Cone (Donated 36)
Schillinger & Schillinger Insurance - Golf Shirt & New York
Book of Business Cartoons
Port Austin Reef Association - Original piece of wanescoting &
safety chain from the Pt. Austin Lighthouse.
WNEM TV5 - XL T-Shirt, Baseball Cap, Coffee Mug and other misc.
items.
More prize items will be added soon. Visit DepnerFarms.com for a complete list.
ěI was inspired to create the "Maze of Dreams" when a friend lost a loved one to cancer" says Depner. "It just seems fitting that we join together and utilize this maze to help those affected by this illness." The maze will be open the following times for this event (weather permitting):
Funds raised through "Get Lost for a Cause" will enable the LAF to continue helping people across the nation with the physical, emotional and practical challenges of cancer. Since its inception in 1997, the LAF has awarded more than $29 million to cancer survivorship programs and research.
Newspaper Story
Eight-acre maze in Caseville opens this weekend. Can
you find your way?
Saturday, September 01, 2007
By LINDSEY POISSON
Bay City Times Writer
CASEVILLE - Brittany Hatfield, 10, stopped to examine a mailbox embedded in a patch of cornstalks. She's seen it before: Brittany and four other family members had been here a few minutes earlier. Dan Depner, wearing a yellow T-shirt emblazoned with ''Get Lost'' and walking through the corn himself, picks up on the girl's confusion. ''Are you sure?'' the corn maze owner asks innocently. ''How do you know there aren't two of these?'' Having his visitors all turned-around is just part of the fun for Depner, who this weekend officially opens the Depner Farms corn maze in Caseville. The maze stays open each weekend until Oct. 28. ''This is a place where people can come out with their families - all ages,'' Depner said. ''That's the type of the environment we like to promote.'' This year's ''Maze of Dreams'' - with a moon, star and ''dream'' spelled out in the design - is carved out of a nearly eight-acre cornfield. It took Depner weeks to go through the field, taking each stalk out by hand using an ordinary garden hoe. His inspiration for the maze came from a friend whose father died recently. ''Our motto this year is 'Everyone has a dream, what's yours?''' he said. ''We're trying to get people not only to learn things, but also kind of think about their goals and dreams. ''What I'm trying to get across is that no dream is unreachable.'' And to prove it, Depner has several exhibits throughout the maze featuring portraits and quotes of famous individuals who've accomplished their own dreams. Some of the people highlighted are Christopher Reeve, Martin Luther King, Jr., Albert Einstein and Amelia Earhart. ''There's an extra value to add something that ... they learn,'' Depner said. ''You can always teach people without them knowing it.'' On the tickets are descriptions that can be matched with six different individuals featured throughout the maze. At these select exhibits, marked with a mailbox, there's a hole punch visitors can use on their ticket to prove they found it. Completed tickets can be entered into a drawing for a ''mystery prize,'' Depner said. Some customers enjoy the added activity, including 10-year-old Brittany of Elkton. She and her family went around the maze for more than two hours getting every uniquely-shaped hole - including a star, bone and tree - punched on their tickets. ''It was fun, but it was hard,'' she said. ''It was definitely different.'' This is the third maze Depner has created - last year's ''Don't be Chicken'' maze was shaped as a giant chicken, and the 2005 maze was a giant pumpkin. With only three years in the corn maze business, Depner is already getting a lot of praise and returning customers. Although the annual crowds haven't topped 6,000, Depner hopes to see about 8,000 people this year, he said. ''It's kind of blowing my mind, because I've never been to a corn maze other than my own,'' he said. ''I guess we're doing something right.'' But business depends on how well the corn grows and the size of incoming crowds. Sometimes the maze doesn't always turn a profit, but the people who come out and have a good time make it successful, Depner said. ''In a way, this is kind of my dream,'' he said. ''Fulfilling one of my dreams is creating this place ... for people to come and forget about everything that's bothering them and have fun for a short time.''