Fast facts . . .

• This corn maze is the largest anywhere in Canada, comprising 10 acres

• A corn maze afficiando, who has Googled other North American mazes, says this    image is superior to any he has seen anywhere.

• The intricate design of the maze is made possible through the advent of GPS (Global    Positioning System) technology where signals from multiple satellites are used to    follow a grid pattern on the earth to achieve the desired effect.

• Why the horse-race image? Assiniboia Downs had been aggressively looking for    ways to elevate its "hottest game in town" promise to new and exciting levels,    especially on the eve of its 50th birthday. When the opportunity arose to create the    "biggest" ever horse race on the planet, Assiniboia Downs jumped in. "The corn    maze concept gives us an opportunity to do something that is not only unique to the    world of horse racing, but also historic and internationally significant," said track    operations manager and race announcer Darren Dunn. "I wouldn't be surprised if    the image shows up in the media in distant parts of the world. There's something    appealing about corn mazes, too. People love them."

• How was it possible to create such an intricate design? The image, created by graphic    designer Brent Polson, was cut when the corn was waist-high. While he walked to    each point on a GPS grid, his wife Laurie followed on a wide lawn-mower type    vehicle, mowing down the corn. Brent walked to another point and he mowed to that    point, etc. The initial mowing took a day and a half--about 14 hours--and required    two additional mowings, three weeks apart, to cut corn that had renewed growth.

• A bridge in the centre of the maze allows people lost in the maze to figure out where    to go next.

• The ultimate purpose of going through the maze is to write down the letters written    on posts throughout the maze, and figuring out the slogan or message the letters    represent. Average time spent by visitors to the maze: one hour.

• Farm owner Murray Boonstra said 15,000 people visited the maze last year when    the image of a pirate ship was cut into the corn field. Most popular are the three    weeks leading up to Halloween when kids with flashlights, many dressed in costumes,    try to get through the maze while others jump out from among the stalks, trying to    scare them. Coffins and other spooky elements are added.

• The maze is open from Friday, Sept. 7 to Halloween, Oct. 31. Maze hours generally    are: Fridays 6 to 10 p.m., Saturdays noon to 10 p.m., Sundays noon to 6 p.m. but    will be open at other times at the request of groups. Admission is $7 for adults, $5    for kids.

• Besides the maze, visitors have an opportunity to visit a "black hole" which tests the    equilibrium of visitors walking into it. There is also a miniature golf course, an    opportunity to pick strawberries, to pat a miniature horse, visit a petting area with    family animals and chow down hot dogs, smokies and other food and refreshments..

• The maze is located a 15-minute drive north of the Perimeter Highway off Highway    67 just east of Stonewall.