After several successful weekends, the corn maze has finally been closed and donations tallied.
"It was a new attraction people had never been to before," said Patti Durand, owner of Prairie View Properties. "We had over 2,000 people visit, which was crazy. We had people making trips from Melfort, Regina, Wynyard, and Saint Brieux. Our original goal was 1,000 people."
In terms of the donations, all proceeds will be going to the participating organizations: Humboldt Big Brothers Big Sisters, JCI Humboldt, Partners Family Services, and Humboldt District Community Servies.
They only expected to receive $500 each. The total number came to a whopping $6,114, which means that each organization will receive more than three times that amount.
"Even before we have the revenue, we just really think (helping non-profit groups) is part of being a good business citizen," said Durand. "But also, we couldn't possibly host a corn maze properly on our own."
In exchange for a small investment and the manpower in hosting the corn maze, each organization was able to equally divvy up the proceeds.
"Right from the original planning stages, where we talked about having an exit alleyway and having a scavenger hunt, all of those things were part of the original plan," said Durand. "I was able to incorporate it with a lot of help and support and that's a big deal."
For Prairie View Properties, the idea was to give people a reason to come out and visit the site. According to Durand, the attraction accomplished that objective, with many people visiting and enquiring about the property and taking home brochures.
"We're working to sell serviced acreages and we need to make sure that people see them," said Durand. "We're off the beaten path, which will be great when we're in the neighbourhood, but in the process of selling it, it gets really tricky to get people out there."
Unfortunately, due to early frosts, there won't be a haunted corn maze. Durand also said that they probably won't do it again next year, but would be willing to help anyone else who was interested in doing it.
"We learned some major lessons," she said, "but I think there's merit in leaving them wanting more."
