By Kristine Salzmann
Waiting for The Bose Family Corn Maze to open this summer may have felt like watching corn grow: slow if you're eagerly awaiting a gleeful tromp through the stalks, but then it's here before you know it.
Spring rain and defective flood boxes delayed planting by almost a month, which means one of Cloverdale's must-do activities opened late this year at the end of August.
The stalks are currently three to four feet high, said Novy Bose, but if the weather is right the corn can grow four inches a day and could be seven feet tall by opening day.
"Corn is a desert plant, it likes the heat," she said, adding some rainfall between now and then would help.
The Bose family (Mike, Novy, Kevin and Matthew) has operated the maze for 13 years, and each season they come up with a new, detailed design. Last year's agricultural artwork recognized the 99th CFL Grey Cup hosted in Vancouver; this year's design is a giant turkey complete with the B.C. Turkey Farmers logo, a nod to the Boses' job as local turkey growers.
While the design is clear from a view above, visitors weaving through the corn along dirt paths by foot could be a speck on the turkey's head or wing and not know it.
On a nice weekend hundreds of people from across the Lower Mainland traverse the maze - last year about 1,500 visitors came out on the final weekend of operation in October, Novy Bose said.
Families can also enjoy the hay jump, slides, sand box and roasting marshmallows by campfires at dusk. As well, fresh vegetables will be for sale: potatoes, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, romaine, pumpkins, zucchinis and, of course, corn.
The Bose Family Corn Maze will be open Aug. 30 until Oct. 21 and is located on 156th St. one block south of 64th Ave. For hours of operation visit themaize.com and search "visit a maize," call 778-578-5450, or email bosemaze@hotmail.com.