ESTEVAN - The Estevan Bible Camp (EBC) has brought back one of its most popular attractions.
The sixth annual Corn Cob Junction will feature a corn maze, which is the top attraction each year, along with hay rides, the camp’s climbing wall and more.
Opening weekend will be Aug. 21 and 22, and it will run every weekend on Saturdays and Sundays until Oct. 3. Saturdays it will be open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sundays will be 1-5 p.m.
In addition, they will be open weekdays from Aug. 25-27 and Sept. 1-3, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., for those who might not be able to make it out on a weekend.
“The corn is looking pretty good,” said Shawn Bissonnette, an operation director with EBC. “We weren’t super certain about it at first.”
Corn is six to seven feet high in some parts, which isn’t as good as last year, but it’s still nice and tall.
“The kids won’t really be able to see over the corn, so that’s always nice if they can enjoy it more than anyone else,” said Bissonnette.
He’s not certain how long it will take for someone to make their way through the corn maze. He estimates it should take 10-20 minutes, but they will also have some scavenger hunts in the maze so that everyone spends a little more time there.
Corn Cob Junction is at the same location as last year, at the farm of Justin and Haley Nixon. It’s a few kilometres east of Macoun, but the access road for the farm is between Hitchcock and Macoun, off of Highway 39. The corn maze is just north of the Nixons’ farm.
This is the Bible Camp’s largest fundraiser of the year. Bissonnette said they receive a lot of inquiries from people who are wondering when it will be open.
“Last year was our biggest year yet,” said Bissonnette. “So it seems like people really enjoy it. I think a lot of people do look forward to it.”
The EBC is glad it decided to start Corn Cob Junction earlier in the year. Previously it would run for a few weekends in September and October, only to encounter the wildly unpredictable, and sometimes cold weather in the fall.
Last year they had Corn Cob Junction before the start of the school year for the first time. Bissonnette expects that will become a tradition.
“Up here in Canada, we have no idea on when it’s going to get cold, so the earlier (we get started) the better, so we can get as much warm weather as we can,” he said.
Corn Cob Junction also allows them to see a lot more people come out and support the camp.
“We really get to be more a part of the community, which is really awesome, and seeing everyone. Some people really don’t even know about the camp until they come to the corn maze, so it’s good to get that awareness out there as well.”
