TERRY MOSHER
BREMERTON BOTTLING DESIGN AT MINDER FARM CORN MAZE
If you drive along Waaga Way on Highway 303 heading from Bremerton to Silverdale and look to your right you will notice the Minder Farm that is turning into a sort of entertainment-natural food center springing from the annual corn maze that attracts thousands each fall
I’m not exactly sure what drives this corn maze craze, but farmers have discovered a new way to make money in an effort to keep their farms in the black. This has led to a new English word – agri-entertainment – which combines what we know about the old traditional farms ‑ raising cattle and other animals, barns, haying, growing food and dairy products, and endless hours of difficult work – with new age entertainment that starts with a corn maze and builds on that to include all kinds of games within the maze to selling banners, signs, pumpkins, snacks and assorted other materials along with providing music at some venues.
Then, on top of that, there are the designs within the maze, which is amazing in itself. Those designs can be anything – at Minder Farm, which is run by JC Carlson of Minder Meats ‑ there have been designs of the Seahawks and local businesses, including this year Bremerton Bottling Company (Pepsi) that are etched into the corn maze from the start of seeding of the corn.
This is the 11th year of the Minder Farm corn maze that covers 4.5 acres and the first year the design was a Seahawks’ helmet with a different Seahawk version the second year. Then it was a chicken, then a barn that said Minder Meats on it followed the next year with a design of Minder Meats with a bull and then one with a Buffalo.
The seventh year it was ESPN, then Minder Meats with the head of a bull. Then the designing went corporate with the 70th anniversary of Bremerton Bottling with a couple of bottle caps and the company’s old logo. That was followed by Robison Plumbing, no overtime, celebrating its 30th anniversary, then this year Bremerton Bottling again with designs of Pepsi and Mountain Dew.
These designs are done by Shawn Stolworthy and his crew of maze makers. Stolworthy is a Firth, Idaho resident whose business has taken him to maze making all over the West, Midwest and into the South.
“He sells me the punch cards, banners, signs, and games you can play,” says Carlson of Stolworthy, who shows up Memorial Day weekend with a tractor and crew that look like they are sci-fi aliens from another planet with all their electronic gear used to design the maze and plant the corn.
This year, Carlson purchased the Farm Tracks game, which on the Stolworthy’s company Website Mazeplay.com is describes as a mystery designed for kids 2-8 where they learn about different animal tracks while trying to find who stole Farmer Joe’s pie.
Also in Carlson’s corn maze this year is a game ‑ The Farm Scene Investigation – that is centered on trying to solve the mystery of Farmer Joe, who has gone missing. So the corn maze isn’t just you in an ordinary maze where you try to find your way out once you enter it. This is pure entertainment at its finest, and all done outside.
What is interesting is that Carlson used to be heavily involved with the Kitsap County Stampede Cowpokes, an organization that was formed in 1997 to help out with the Kitsap County Fair & Stampede Rodeo (the Cowpokes no longer exist).
“Our goal was to get the rodeo on ESPN,’ says Carlson of the Cowpokes. “Five years into the rodeo we were going to be on ESPN2, tape delayed. We knew it in advance, so that year we planted the corn maze with a cowboy on a horse with one hand up in the air holding a cowboy hat with ESPN across the top.
“This is a true story. It was either 2009 or 2010 and ESPN opened the show in a plane and they said, ‘Welcome to beautiful Puget Sound’ and showed the boats, the ferry, the mountain range, the shipyard and said, ‘this is not the place you would think would have a rodeo, but they love the rodeo here.’
“Then they fly over Minder Farm and the corn maze and they see ‘Welcome to ESPN’ and the whole thing. That was great.”
It was about seven years into creating the corn maze that Carlson attended an agri-entertainment seminary in Portland, Ore. and discovered he could have sponsors for the maze.
“They asked who had sponsors for their maze and everybody raised their hand except me,” Carlson said. “I just didn’t get it. All of this was just fun and games for me.”
So a little later, Carlson was at the 19th hole Bar and Grill in Bremerton when he ran into Bremerton Bottling president Carole Aughnay Dawson and mentioned that some maze owners had sponsors paying $2500 to have their design in the maze.
“She said, “I’ll do $2500,” Carlson said.
So began annual corporate sponsorships of the Minder Farm corn maze.
It’s remarkable that a corn maze that once was done for fun and games has moved into a profitable phase that helps the bottom line of Minder Meats, the company Carlson runs from Auto Center Way in Bremerton and that also includes also 19 head of Black Angus cattle pastured at Minder Farm along Waaga Way.
Carlson has hired planes to fly over his corn maze to take promotional photos. Once, he took his own photos, once he hired a professional photographer, and once he hired an owner of a drone to take some photos.
Prices for playing the games and being in the Minder Farm’s corn maze has never changed from the original prices of $8 for adults and $6 for kids. Children five and under are admitted free. Last year around 5,000 people went through the maze and another 2,000 just came and hung out.
Carlson could make everybody who shows up pay, but, he says,” That’s just the way we are.”
Carlson’s dad Jim is usually in charge of selling the pumpkins.
“My dad is the pumpkin salesman,” says JC, laughing. “He just eyes (the pumpkins). He doesn’t use a scale. He knows the value and makes it work. Last year he sold a bunch of them for $20 to a family that looked like they needed them and I tell him, “you are giving away the farm.’ But he knows what he is doing.”
The corn maze opens this year on Sept. 16 and stays open through Halloween. It is not open Monday or Tuesday. Those days are reserved for private parties that in the past have included retirement communities and students that are bused in from local schools.
Another part of his whole thing is that the farm has become a favorite spot for people who want a private party or for a place where a farmer’s market can be held to sell people’s home-grown foods. The Kitsap Food Co-op recently held a farmers’ market there and Carlson said about 1,000 people came through.
Arrangements for Minder Farm can be made by emailing jcarlson@mindermeats,com
. Local singer/songwriter Joey Dean will likely play on the stage at the farm on opening night this year, although that has not been firmed up yet.
So from humble beginnings, a big thing is now developing at Minder Farm, It’s eye-catching, both from the sky with its corn maze designs, and from the ground for it entertainment value.
It’s hard work, but as long as people like it and come, Carlson will build it.
That’s it for today. Football season is here and the weather has cooled off to welcome the gridiron sport and I got some work to do around the house while waiting for the weekend to arrive and more football, high school, college and the NFL.
So, in the meantime, take care.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
You are loved.