MARYSVILLE Biringer Farms is open for fall with spooky and kooky offerings, with two gigantic corn mazes and pumpkins galore. The historic farm sits on hundreds of acres of land on Spencer Island next to I-5, where drivers can see the pumpkins by the hundreds ripening in the fall.
Owner Dianna Biringer said this year the popular Zip Line is back, a 100-foot-long buckaroo ride down a wire, like a true movie action hero.
Visitors can prowl through the two corn mazes, with a troupe of actors springing from out of the stalks to scare visitors in the Scary Nights maze, in a friendly way, of course. The mazes are lit up at night and Fridays and Saturdays the farm is open as late as 11 p.m. Last call for the mazes is 10 p.m.
Theres so much going on I cant believe it, Biringer said. Our phones are ringing off the hook.
The Old Mac Biringer maze has a challenge of its own: visitors are given a map with questions to answer and they must find 12 posts scattered through the corn. Answers to the map questions feature trivia about the historic farm and local area.
Another maze is a short version, about three feet high, constructed of hay bales, called the Thinkers Maze.
You can only make right turns in it, Biringer explained. It is challenging. I went through it last night, and I know it.
There will also be food and kettle corn available in the Pumpkin Cafe, and local cider from a Mount Vernon farm will be for sale, as will apples from Lynden and squash too.
And pumpkins the no-frills price is 28 cents per pound, and thats just a walk-on, cash-and-carry deal, with no admission to any of the farm events. Buy the works and its 20 cents per pound, plus all the fun you can stand.
Aspiring Jack o Lanterns can take pointers from world renowned pumpkin carver Russ Leno, who many locals will recall from this summers Pig Out on the Farm, where he made a huge sand sculpture with the help of a couple friends. Lenos schedule varies; check the Biringer Farm Web site for updates, at www.biringerfarm.com.
Pumpkins are his favorite thing to sculpt, Biringer said. He does wood, ice and sand, a little bit of everything.
The Biringers have added a tunnel to their Dino slide to make him look more like a true dinosaur. The biggest change is the Scary Nights corn maze, with a troupe of ghouls to spice up the challenge.
Scary nights is getting really popular, Biringer said. They do fun surprises, no gore.
The Scary Nights maze is $10 per person, Old Mac Biringers maze is $7; and the website has a coupon deal that gets you both for $15. An adult 21-years or older must accompany children 14 years or younger. The Old Mac Biringer maze is 10 acres and has 3.7 miles of trails.
There are also the goats to feed, and the train to ride. The farm is open for pumpkin picking until
Oct. 31, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily, and the mazes are open from 7 – 11 p.m.