SPANISH FORK, Utah — Saturday's storms had the owners of Glen Rays Corn Maze in a panic. They closed for the day due to the heavy rainfall, but then they started getting calls in hopes that the rain wouldn't close off their "Field of Fright" for the night.
Glen Rays Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch have only been around for eight years, but the family farm has roots in Utah that date way back.
“I’m the fifth generation. My great-great-grandfather settled this area in 1869,” said Rex Larsen, owner of Glen Rays Corn Maze.
Growing for 156 years in Spanish Fork, it's become very special to Larsen and his family.
"Hard to put into words. The fact that I’m actually farming the same soil kind of gets me a little emotional, even,” said Larsen.
He wants to see his family’s farm live on.
"It’s my legacy. It’s almost like a birthright, so I hope we can keep going with it,” said Larsen.
To keep things going, they opened up their corn maze and pumpkin patch eight years ago, offering a place for visitors to buy tickets for fall festivities.
"This is one way that I can see to continue on, with this added value from agritourism,” said Larsen.
Kara Lewis, his daughter, explained that weekends are when they see the most visitors, and last Saturday's rainfall caused them to close for the day.
"It was a lot. Too much, too fast,” said Lewis.
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She said everyone got to work to make a safe path, through the sitting water and mud on their Field of Fright attraction.
“I just kept bringing loads of straw down that we can break and spread out on the pass and in the haunted areas, and frantically worked to take and dry and rough up the soil,” said Larsen.
Lewis shared how tough it was for them to close because of the rain, knowing they'd miss out on needed revenue: "$10,000 or more, just by not opening that Saturday morning, and that can be devastating going forward.”
They also had to cancel birthday parties and other events.
"It’s hard when you only have a six-week window to try and make this income that can support your farm throughout the rest of the year,” said Lewis.
Now, they are hoping for dry Saturdays through the rest of their season.
"Want people to understand it’s not just an attraction; it’s a farm that we’ve used agritourism to add value to the farm,” said Larsen.
They'd love to be busy, so visitors keep coming and the farm keeps growing.
"We have a couple acres where we grow alfalfa, barley, corn — also beef cattle,” said Lewis.
It's a place they enjoy sharing with others.
"We just love people to come be a part of our farm,” said Larsen.
