A tribute to Dolly Parton … in corn
Planned months ago, Dolly Parton’s image is carved into the cornfield at Happy Day Farm in Manalapan, NJ, paying tribute to her as the corn maze for this season.
- The maze was planned months before the singer’s death and is meant to honor her legacy.
- The maze includes Dolly-themed trivia questions to help guests navigate the two different routes.
The Stockel family had no way of knowing what was to come when they began planning their farm’s annual fall corn maze earlier this year.
Carved into 8 acres of corn at Happy Day Farm on Iron Ore Road is the likeness of Dolly Parton, surrounded by butterflies, stars and the words “Dolly, an American treasure.”
Parton died Aug. 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee, following a brief battle with cancer. She was 80 years old.
The timing of the Stockels’ maze, a highlight of their upcoming fall festival, is coincidental and comes nearly two years after owners Tim and Olivia Stockel visited the Dollywood amusement park in Tennessee with The Maize, a Utah-based company that has cut their corn maze every year for more than a decade.
“My wife is a big Dolly fan, and we went out to Dollywood and fell in love with it,” Tim Stockel said.
Licensing rights to use the singer’s image were granted this year, and after learning about Parton’s humble upbringing and philanthropic efforts during their trip, the Stockels decided to use it this fall.
“Just the way she came from nothing, and everything she accomplished … how do you not like this sweetheart?” Tim Stockel said. “It is about honoring her. It’s not about her death; it’s about her legacy.”
The maze began taking shape in early July, when the corn was about 3 inches tall. It features two routes — one shorter and easier, the other longer and more challenging — and once inside, guests can answer Dolly-themed trivia questions to receive hints to find their way out.
Happy Day Farm is currently closed; it finished its summer season of berry, sunflower and lavender picking earlier this week. Visitors will be able to enjoy the maze, plus pumpkin arrangements, zinnia picking, pig races, food trucks, and a beer garden during their annual fall festival, which begins Saturday, Sept. 19, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 8.
The seeds of Happy Day Farm were sown in the early 2000s, when Stockel had success growing pumpkins at home, he told The Asbury Park Press in 2017. The following year, he grew even more and hosted a pumpkin-themed autumn party with friends, then added a corn maze and bought a hay wagon and a tractor to offer rides to attendees.
In 2012, he launched Happy Day Farm on 70 acres of farmland and later added 60 more. The farm has featured a corn maze since 2012, with past designs featuring the likenesses of Snoopy, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Curious George, Wonder Woman and the Avengers, among others.
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com, follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats, and subscribe to her weekly newsletter.