Corn maze to go through October 31 in rural Ottertail

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

Have you ever wondered what a Lund boat looks like carved in corn? Well, the Otter Berry Farm in rural Ottertail has spent the better part of 2021 planning just how it will carve a giant Lund boat and a farmer and tractor in a field of corn.

The new design of the Otter Berry Corn Maze was recently unveiled and features a strong New York Mills Mills flare, which includes the community’s saying of “Small Town Big Life.” The corn maze is set to open Sept. 11 and will go through Oct. 31, with a variety of games, actives and opportunity to head outside during the fall season.

Kris Huebsch, who along with her husband Cordell own Otter Berry Farm, said the concept really started with the hopes of highlighting small towns. Since the NY Mills community has been one of a number of major sponsors of the corn maze over the years, Huebsch said the family began looking at a way to highlight some of the unique offerings of the region.

“We thought we could do a design celebrating small towns,” she said. “New York Mills has a slogan of small town, big life, so we thought that would be kind of cool to put that in there.”

The corn maze features a person fishing in a Lund boat, the Lund boat logo, iconic NY Mills tractor and town slogan. The corn maze is interactive and can be navigated on a phone. Check points are located throughout the corn maze as people can play trivia and be timed to see how fast they can get from point A to point B. 

“It’s going to be really cool. We usually set it up where it is two halves,” said Huebsch. “The first half is easier than the second half and you can always get out if needed.”

While the design is typically set in stone by mid February, this year’s corn maze resulted in some extra stress for the Huebsch family as a severe drought has resulted in less-than-idea crop conditions. Fortunately, the family has been able to irrigate the corn and that resulted in a good looking crop for the corn maze.

“This year was really tough, I was a little stressed out because it was a terrible growing year,” said Huebsch. “Chris Roberts with Rob Seed Co donated the seed…it’s some of the best corn. It is so tall, even with this insane growing year.”

In addition to the corn maze Otter Berry Farm will feature new animals, games, tractors, a little kids bale maze, over 50 varieties of pumpkins and squash, wagon rides, concessions and more throughout the fall.

The corn maze will get underway on Sept. 11 and be held on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1-5 p.m. through Oct. 31. Huebsch said there will also likely be extended hours during MEA break and they are looking to offer a number of special events throughout the corn maze weekend. Updates will be posted on the Otter Berry website at www.otterberry.com and social media pages.

Otter Berry is located at 38132 470th Ave. New York Mills, or near Rush Lake in rural Ottertail.