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Fun on the farm: Landowners offer corn mazes, other activities

By Audrey Levine
   Agricultural tourism is a $57.5 million industry in the Garden State, and two local farms — Norz Hill Farm, on South Branch Road, and Doyle’s Unami Farm, on Mill Lane — do what they can to contribute to it with opportunities for the whole family.
   ”Agritourism is an active business,” said Richard Norz Jr., owner of Norz Hill Farm. “We try to keep the farm viable. It is nice to let the public come, see the farm and experience it.”
   More than just the public was welcome Oct. 2, when New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Charles Kuperus and Secretary of State Nina Wells visited Norz Hill Farm to promote agricultural activities during the farm’s Fall Festival.
   ”It was an honor to be able to talk to them,” Mr. Norz said. “They’re running our state.”
   Mr. Norz said Mr. Kuperus visits a different farm each year to promote agritourism, and this was the first time he had come to the location in Hillsborough. He said he walked the two state officials through the farm’s 5-acre corn maze, which, now in its fifth year, spells out “Cornfusion.”
   In the past, the maze has had other themes, reading “Got Milk” in 2006, and “Farm Fun” in 2007.
   According to Mr. Norz, the state officials spent more than an hour at the 1,500-acre farm, walking through the maze and taking a hay ride to visit the different animals cared for by him and his family.
   ”They always warned you as a child to not get lost in a cornfield, and going through the maze at Norz Hill Farm was a reminder why they say that,” Mr. Kuperus said in a separate interview. “I encourage everyone to enjoy this type of farm experience by visiting one of the many farms in New Jersey that offer mazes, hayrides and pick-your-own apples and pumpkins.”
   Aside from the maze and animals, Mr. Norz said, the farm offers pumpkin picking, pony rides, a smaller corn maze for children and a three-quarter-mile haunted trail for those more than 13 years of age. Mr. Norz has said that the trail, now in its third year, features a graveyard scene and workers jumping out in costume to scare visitors.
   ”If you like to be scared, the trail is a lot of fun,” Mr. Norz said. “We have had a very nice response to it in the past. It is usually teenagers and people in their 20s.”
   With all the opportunities at the farm throughout October, Mr. Norz said, he enjoys being able to do his part to promote agritourism throughout the state.
   ”We love to see people able to enjoy our farm,” he said.
   Also looking to promote agricultural tourism is Doyle’s Unami Farm, which offers its own corn maze and other October activities across its 155 acres.
   ”We figured we would create the maze to draw attention to Jersey agriculture,” said owner Jim Doyle of the maze that has been created every year for 12 years.
   This year’s maze, Mr. Doyle said, reads “Farming 2008,” a duplicate of one created in 2000. He said the maze this year is designed to bring attention to New Jersey farms in the wake of rising prices for fertilizer and other issues that have plagued farms over the last few months.
   The maze, Mr. Doyle said, features questions about farming, which have to be answered to know which way to turn as guests are walking through.
   In addition to the maze — where Mr. Doyle said visitors can spend “a good part of the day” — the farm offers hayrides, pumpkin picking, games, scarecrow building, live music and children’s movies every Saturday night.
   For the most part, Mr. Doyle said, the activities at the farm are geared toward families and younger children, including the Saturday night movies, which will include “Madagascar” and “The Bee Movie.”
   ”People can come just to enjoy the peacefulness with their families,” he said. “We are spread out enough that it is not crowded here.”
   According to Mr. Doyle, what makes the farm so appealing to people is its massive amounts of open space, as it is surrounded by open areas on three of its four sides.
   ”We hear people say they are not used to seeing such open space in Hillsborough,” he said. “We had a landscaper come and he marveled at the openness. That’s what appeals to people.”
   Norz Hill Farm will keep its haunted trail open through Nov. 1, on Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 10 p.m. Throughout the day on Saturdays, the farm is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sundays it is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on hours and admission costs, visit norzhillfarm.com.
   Doyle’s Unami Farm will keep the farm open until Oct. 26. It is open Friday afternoons from 3 to 5, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Saturday evening movie begins at 7, with the final hayride of the day running at dark. The farm is open on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about activities and admission costs, visit doyles-farm.com.