IT'S NOT JUST CORNY!

This weekend take a trip to Wellington, Colorado where the stalks stand 8 feet tall and are long past their use as food for people or for livestock. As the wind blows, the dry corn plants chatter against each other with a raspy clatter.

On a weekday evening in September, it is the only sound at the farm as daily chores wind down. But on the weekends, visitors from around the region flock here to get lost in the maze carved into the cornfield's neat rows. In addition to the maze, the facility offers hay rides, a petting zoo and a maze of hay bales that includes pits that children can jump into without fear of getting hurt.

In its fourth year at the Denver Rescue Mission's Harvest Farm north of Wellington, Colo., the maze and other attractions draw thousands of visitors annually.

Farm director Tom Matushka says last year it brought in $200,000 for the Denver Rescue Mission that operates the non-profit farm dedicated to helping homeless men get back on their feet. In October alone last year, 20,691 people came to explore the maze, and Matushka estimates that about one quarter of them came from Wyoming.

What a way to spend family time out in the fresh air and help out a very deserving cause.
For more information on The Harvest Farm Maze, visit www.harvestfarm.net.