Lattin Farms corn maze, fall festival opens

Lattin Farms in Fallon celebrates 100 years and five generations of farming with the opening of the Centennial Corn Maze.

The Centennial Maze is part of the Fall Festival at Lattin Farms and is open to the public every weekend in October from 5-8 p.m., Fridays, and 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturdays.

This is the 11th year for the maze, which has a different design cut into the corn each year. To celebrate their centennial year, the family chose a design with a picture of Bill and Edna Lattin, the third generation of Lattins to farm in the Lahontan Valley. They are now retired and live a short distance from the working farm.

The maze is a jungle of towering corn stalks, twisting and turning for more than a mile through three acres of corn. From inside, it's hard to get a sense of the maze design. From the air, the image is striking and clear. It can take visitors from 30 minutes to more than an hour to find their way through the maze where cornstalks peak at over 10 feet.

The maze is cross-planted in late May with 38,000 kernels of corn, each 3 inches deep, over a 12-acre span. The rows are planted 30 inches apart with another set of rows planted perpendicular. In late June, stakes are installed marking off three acres of corn into 15-foot squares that are used as guidelines for cutting the pre-designed trails. The corn is cut when it's about knee high.

Lattin Farms is located at 1955 McLean Road in Fallon. For information, call (866)638-6293 or visit www.lattinfarms.com.