The 16th annual Great Godfrey Maze officially opened Friday, Sept. 4 and will remain open until Oct. 31. The theme this year, was designed to highlight the return of the well-known Broadway show, “Wicked,” to St. Louis in the near future. There will be a College Night, Sunday, Oct. 11, from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Shannon Yount
Contributor
It is getting “Wicked.” Recently, the yellow brick road in Oz is leading Ozians to a maze of maize in Godfrey, Illinois. This twisted path was designed to highlight the return of the well-known Broadway show, “Wicked,” to St. Louis in the near future.
The 16th annual Great Godfrey Maze is located in the Robert E. Glazebrook Community Park. The event officially opened Friday, Sept. 4, and will remain open until Oct. 31.
There will be a special College Night at the Great Godfrey Maze, Friday, Oct. 11, from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. A college ID is required when purchasing a ticket, standard rates due apply. During the event, the Godfrey parks and recreation staff will be showing a horror movie inside the maze, while there will be a bon fire with s’mores on the outskirts of the maze.
For the past five years, James Wilson and his family have gone to the maze. It has become a family tradition.
“It is good wholesome entertainment for the family and it supports the community,” said Wilson, a nursing student at Lewis and Clark Community College. “My kids really enjoy it and… the rides are affordable.”
Though Wilson and his family are looking forward to this year’s festivities, he is not thrilled with the theme.
“I was disappointed with the theme this year. I think it is too adult and I think it should be more family friendly,” he said.
The staff of Godfrey parks and recreation are hoping the theme and partnership with The Fox this year, attracts some different people, said Kimberly Caughran, during an interview with the staff of McGraw live, Big 550 KTRS. She further explained a different crowd would include theater people who wouldn’t necessarily think, “Let’s go get lost in corn this fall.”
For those worried about getting lost in the maze, Caughran, the director of parks and recreation for the village of Godfrey, explained that there are staff members positioned on a bridge overlooking the entire maze, and, if an individual is lost or stressed, they can signal for assistance.
The maze is open from 6-10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. to dusk Sunday. Starting Friday, Oct. 2, an additional attraction, the Haunted Maze, will be open after sunset on Friday and Saturday evenings. The Haunted Maze will feature employees, who, dressed in costumes, will attempt to scare patrons of the maze.
The cost for admission for both attractions is $6 for adults 12 and older and $4 for children, who are between 6-11 years old. Children under the age of five are admitted for free. There are also combo packs for other activities such as the hay wagon, cow train and corn crib.
For more information, visit the official Village of Godfrey website www.godfreyil.org, Facebook page or call (618) 466-1483 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
