# What to use instead of Corn Stalks?



## HalloweenHaunter (Mar 6, 2011)

I am wondering what we could use instead of corn stalks
The red area is where we used to have corn maze leading throughout the town, we can no longer afford the price of the corn stalks, I am wondering what we could put there instead of the corn stalks so that there's not an empty space there? Any ideas?:xbones:


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Know any farmers? See if a local farmer can donate corrupted bales of hay...ones that are too moldy, too weedy to sell. You can stack them, peg them so they won't fall...make the maze with them.
What about a different concept entirely other than a maze? What was it about that maze u liked- that it was an actor-less thing to have the kids do?? Do you get mostly younger kids, or want an older crowd? I cant get any of your pics online to load for me for some reason....


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## billman (May 3, 2006)

Is this an old west theme?


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## Allen H (Feb 13, 2010)

What part of the country are you in?


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## HalloweenHaunter (Mar 6, 2011)

@debbie5 That's not a bad idea.... I should have mentioned that we do have actors and we usually get people more in the 14+ age. 

@Billman yes it is an old west theme.

@Allen we are in Oregon.


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## billman (May 3, 2006)

Not sure what resources you have...Just throwing out some ideas:

Wooden Posts with wide rope for a maze. The posts could be cut down trees. Interspersed with barrels, wagon wheels, etc.

Split log fence, Earth bags, Adobe wall, Mud and straw wall, Scrap wood fence. A combination of all.

Check out this thread for excellent use of natural materials:
http://www.hauntworld.com/haunted_house_forums/showthread.php?13940-2011-Haunted-Overload-progress


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

What about turning it into a games section? Carnival games with a ghostly/Wild West theme?


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## billman (May 3, 2006)

Or you could just do a old west cemetery. Maybe, incorporate with day of the dead celebration.


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## Haunted Spider (Sep 6, 2010)

If you want to keep the maze feel I understand. Mazes are some of the most fun things to go through in a haunt. The corn idea is fun and I am surprised you can not find a local farmer who will let you cut down the corn, put all of the corn in a barrel and keep the stalks. I did that at my hometown (in Ohio) and just dumped the bins of corn into the combine, took it less than 3 seconds to suck it all up and I had nearly 800 stalks. 

An idea that you could do if you wanted is a spiderweb maze. Tie a maze of spiderwebs with 1/8th inch to 1/4th inch nylon rope. Tie it between posts you could set in concrete. This makes a see through maze that you can't run through quickly. And if you have a monster or two in the maze, they can see them and don't know which turn will lead them to a no longer "caged" monster. At the same point, if you use 1/4 inch, you can basically bounce off of it. Just a thought.


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## Terror Tom (Oct 27, 2009)

Could you fasten a bunch of old pallets together to make walls? A few years ago I went to a haunted house that made one large room into a maze. The set the pallets on edge. The fastened the 2 pallets together at the edge with some bolts. They then used 2X4s across the top to hold the pallets vertical. They braced the pallets with additional lumber where they met to form corners. It would take quite a few pallets but it's an idea. Maybe use it for part of the maze?


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## octoberist (Apr 3, 2007)

*Corn Stalk replacement ideas*

1. Old tires. Go to the dump and get some old tires. They have more than they know what to do with. Cut them in half and paint them to look like corn stalks. Stack them to form the maze.
2. Old cans of paint. Stack the old cans of paint that you just used to paint the tires. Use more paint to make the old cans look like corn stalks. And then use those cans also.
3. Broom handles. Go to the Salvation Army and buy all their broom handles. Or buy the whole broom and cut off the handles. Then glue ears of dried corn to the broom handles and you have corn stalks with REAL corn. For a cool different look glue colorful indian corn to them.
4. Shoe boxes. Collect old shoe boxes from your friends and neighbors - everybody has at least 3 shoe boxes that they don't need. Paper mache the shoe boxes to look like actual corn stalks. Stack the shoe boxes to make the maze. If anybody forgot to take their shoes out of the shoe boxes paint them and use those for corn stalks also. Or give the shoes back if you are feeling guilty.
5. Mop handles. (See broom handles)


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## HalloweenHaunter (Mar 6, 2011)

Thanks for all the opinions!!


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