It only takes a few minutes walking around the Farm in the Zoo in Lincoln Park to realize that, for most Chicago-area residents and tourists from big cities, a farm is now as remote and exotic as the surface of Mars.
With suburbs malled and paved with concrete, the farms that once dotted this area have all but vanished.
Consider, then, the concept of “entertainment farm.” That is what Paul and Sherry Staley call their land, located near the towns of Paris, Elbridge, Marshall and some other dots on the Illinois map, just west of the state line and the larger Indiana city of Terre Haute.
The exact address of the farm, formally known this time of year as Pumpkin Works, is 21788 E. Terre Haute Rd. and the phone number, if you happen to get lost on the way, is 217-275-3327. You really should think about going, driving the 200 or so miles south and experiencing things that might make your kids forget all about video games.
The farming Staleys go back seven generations in the area. The barn that still stands on the farm was built in the 1850s by Paul’s great grandfather. But with family farming becoming an increasing tough business, the Staleys in 1993 decided to embellish their pumpkin-patch sales by offering a straw maze and haunted house.
Now, they really do have an entertainment farm. There is a general store where you can buy things like handmade baskets and grab a bite to eat; pick pumpkins, Indian corn and gourds; take an hourlong hayride across 100 acres; start a campfire; pet some animals; climb a straw pyramid; visit a haunted dungeon; or play with a pumpkin sling-shot.
But the real draw are the mazes. There are nine of them, from simple little straw structures for the kids to some that cover eight acres.
Osgood regretted that he did not have a helicopter at his disposal, since it would have provided the perfect way to display the mazes.
But, ever inventive, he did shoot a photo of a maze. Look closely: It’s there on Paul Staley’s hat.
It’s new to the farm this year, created in June and dedicated to the nearby 154th Army National Guard unit.
Its members are in Iraq, and one can only hope that when they sleep they dream of fields of corn, haunted houses and hayrides back home in Illinois.
