With U-pick pumpkins and apples, a country farm market, hayrides, pony rides and farm animals, pedal karts, sand and candy art, a Moon Bounce, face painting and, of course, a five-acre maze featuring a sculpted Rutgers helmet, football and Coach Greg Schiano’s signature “Keep Choppin’” mantra, the farm boasts activities for Scarlet Knights fans of all ages.
Cindy Von Thun, an alumna of Cook College (now SEBS), said her husband Bob and friend Paul Junkiersky have attended Rutgers games for about five seasons and “kicked around” the idea for a football maze for several years. The Von Thuns have been doing corn mazes for more than a decade. After considering the Rutgers program’s success in recent seasons, Cindy gave her blessing to the project, which measures about two football fields long and three football fields wide. The maze will comprise two courses, with a shorter track for school-age kids – and those with a less-than-perfect sense of direction. Ample clues will be available to guide participants from start to finish.
Von Thun said tickets have been donated to Rutgers’ student groups as a fundraiser, with a percentage from each sale going to the sponsoring group. The maze will be open through October.
Four-season agritourism is big business in New Jersey and a growing segment of the agriculture industry. It provides the state’s farmers with $60 million in revenue annually.
For more information, call 732-329-8656.
Media Contact: Steve Manas
732-932-7084, ext. 612
E-mail: smanas@ur.rutgers.edu