A light and movement adventure

star tunnel at Lightscape (J Jacobs photo)
star tunnel at Lightscape (J Jacobs photo)

Fire, color, shapes, snowflake and kaleidoscope patterns, water features, movement, and yes, past years’ popular gold-lit Cathedral, all make Lightscape at the Chicago Botanic Garden, a fun and fanciful, winter night out.  

The color-filled light spectacle starts with a large, welcoming, holiday wreath near the east end of the Botanic Garden’s ticket booths. That is the first clue that the 2022 Lightscape follows a different path with some installation changes and additions to previous years.

Hopefully you have worn good walking shoes or boots. Temperatures have dipped into late November-December mode and the Lightscape path feels longer than its approximate mile and a quarter because its first half is mostly uphill.

A garden of fire at CBG Lightscape ( J Jacobs photo)
A garden of fire at CBG Lightscape ( J Jacobs photo)

What to expect

Smart-phone cameras ready, look for a garden of fire set in Oriental style fixtures in the Rose Garden.

As you continue along the path, snap floating leaves in the lagoon near the Japanese bridges and colorful hula-style rings overhead.

Stop for a snack at an outdoor shack while checking out a color-changing mist.

Look up for Kaleidoscope at Regenstein Center (J Jacobs photo)
Look up for Kaleidoscope at Regenstein Center (J Jacobs photo)

As the commercials say, Wait, there’s more. After lots of turns, curves water-markers and color-lit trees, you arrive at the Kaleidoscope overhang of the Regenstein’s Center. There you can cross a terrace of beautifully colored globes and end up at Nichols Hall, the indoor food area.

Back out after a calorie break, follow the “continue” path where you pass colorful flowers, walk through a tunnel of stars.

 You’ll see the golden Cathedral ahead and snap companions walking through it. But next clue things have changed is you learn you are not at the end. Guides with flashlights urge you on because there’s more to see ahead.

Lights sticks glow on path to the great ball of light that you enter to exit. (J Jacobs photo)
Lights sticks glow on path to the great ball of light that you enter to exit. (J Jacobs photo)

Pass the changing lights growing in a pasture between the Regenstein Center and the Pond. Follow more flashlights and paths until you’re confronted by dramatic music and a huge ball of lights. You look around and realize you have to enter it to exit.

Now, you are at the lily pond area where stairs and a ramp lead down to a path to the Visitors Center and parking lot.

Tip: Check your Smart Phone because after all those photos it probably needs recharging.  

Details: Lightscape goes from Nov. 11, 2022 through Jan. 8, 2023, after 4 p.m. Lightscape entry and parking are timed tickets. Members $30, non $32. Children of members $14, non $16. Under age 2 free. Lightscape parking free to members, $10 nonmembers. 

For more info visit Lightscape

Jodie Jacobs

Xanadu is a relaxing trip to nowhere.

 

Xanadu an audio play by Theater in the Dark
Xanadu an audio play by Theater in the
Dark

Somewhat Recommended

2 Stars

Skillfully presented, this streaming audio play “A murder in the court of Xanadu” presented by A Theater in the Dark is a jumble of characters and events that in the end I simply did not care about.

I truthfully cannot give you a synopsis of this play. I enjoyed listening to it but ultimately do not understand anyone’s motivation for doing whatever they did and am not sure why it was interesting or important.

It was kind of like listening to a Chinese opera. I do not speak Chinese but I might walk away understanding that someone was rich, someone was a conniving trusted advisor, someone got killed, and in the end, someone got something of value that maybe was surprising and undeserved. But I could not catch the details. In the meantime, it was oddly enjoyable to listen to because the vocal tones and rhythm of the presentation with its evocative incidental music was pleasing.

The place of Xanadu is known to most of us a symbol of utopian excess perhaps best remembered from the Samuel Coleridge poem of the same name. In fact, as a result of a recent Jeopardy question on the popular TV game show, I was able to immediately recall the opening words “In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree,” though I have no recollection of ever reading the entire poem.

We might also be familiar with “Xanadu” as the name of the mansion in the well know movie “Citizen Kane.” In this case I can tell you that Kane was a Khan-like business ruler with a strong desire for beauty and excessive wealth. I know this because I learned as much through the storyline. The story of Citizen Kane challenges us to try to understand the motivation behind the main character’s actions.

In “A murder in the court of Xanadu” we are basically told, though a narrator, who the characters are rather than have them reveal themselves to us. There is no discernible mystery to unravel and no reason to be interested in the fates of a number of greedy self-centered individuals who do not seem to have derived their wealth or status through any particular talent or ability of their own.

The standout performance for me was Erin Lin as Marla who acts as a kind of narrator. Her voice was clear, expressive and well modulated with a kind of musical quality. I would be happy to listen to her read or recite virtually anything.

The theater’s website suggests that the character of Marla is inspired by Marco Polo who incidentally provided the earliest description of the Khan’s pleasure retreat. However, this relationship is totally lost to the uninformed listener, and one or two periodic allusions to Venice in my mind only added to the confusion. I feel strongly that a theatergoer should not have to bring any previous knowledge to the experience in order to understand the action.

Nessa Amherst as Marigold provided nearly all of the much needed auditory contrast, providing a kind of comic quality and strong characterization.

I felt that all of the male actors including Robinson J. Cyprian (Kane), Van Ferro (An Actor Who Plays Many Parts), and Gabriel Fries (Ahmad) understood what they were saying (even if I did not), delivering their lines with conviction. I would have enjoyed more vocal variety between the three of them and a little more resonance from Cyprian who I remember gave us more vocal depth in his performance of Ahab in the company’s performance of “Moby Dick.”

If there is any fault to be assigned it belongs to the author Cory Bradberry who has demonstrated through his previous works a real ability and commitment to this genre. That said, this is not a disaster but rather a miss. Perhaps with a bit more work and revision he can overcome whatever it is that is lacking.

Bradberry does partially cover his tracks through his exceptional direction. The performance does have an overall lyrical quality and pleasing tone that is enhanced through just enough foley work to provide some needed ambiance with a very enjoyable use of an original musical score by Paul Sottnik.

DETAILS: “A murder in the court of Xanadu” presented by A Theater in the Dark is available for streaming beginning November 3, 2022 at www.atheaterinthedark.com Runtime is about 90 minutes.

Reno Lovison

For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago

 

Botanic Garden and Shedd plus Brookfield Zoo news

 

Art of Fiber at Chicago Botanic Garden. (J Jacobs photo)
Art of Fiber at Chicago Botanic Garden. (J Jacobs photo)

Not all colors are outdoors at the Chicago Botanic Garden. While CBG is getting ready outdoors for its soon to be sold out holiday Lightscape, the Fine Art of Fiber has taken over the inside of the Regenstein Center. 

Chicago Theater and Arts stopped for a sneak preview while it was setting up. Its impressive.

Extraordinary quilts, wall hangings and wearable fiber art such as shawls and jewelry, can be seen and items bought at the Art of Fiber show but it only goes Nov. 4-6, 2022. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  For more info visit Chicago Botanic Garden

 

Sea otters Suri (l) and Willow (r) have names now instead of numbers at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. (Photo courtesy of Shedd)
Sea otters Suri (l) and Willow (r) have names now instead of numbers at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. (Photo courtesy of Shedd)

Shedd Aquarium

Penguins aren’t the only cute, playful animals capturing attention at the Shedd.

Its two new otters now have names. The Shedd’s Animal Care Team has named Otter 926 as Suri for California’s Big Sur coast line between Carmel and San Simeon.

The other otter, known as 929 won the public vote name of Willow. For other otter news visit Shedd Aquarium and Sea Otter | Shedd Aquarium

 

Spree, a 20-year-old bottlenose dolphin, during a feeding session with Andy Ferris, a senior animal care specialist from Brookfield Zoo.(P:hoto courtesy of Brookfield Zoo)
Spree, a 20-year-old bottlenose dolphin, during a feeding session with Andy Ferris, a senior animal care specialist from Brookfield Zoo.(P:hoto courtesy of Brookfield Zoo)

Brookfield Zoo

Go to Brookfield Zoo operated by the Chicago Zoological Society in suburban Brookfield, IL for lots of animal sightings, but not for its seven bottlenose dolphins.

Beginning early November, the dolphins (along with their support staff) have taken up residence at the Minnesota Zoo for about seven months while Brookfield’s Seven Seas area is undergoing renovations.

Among the renovations is installation of a lift platform to allow quick adjustment to water depth, a new roof and a climate-controlled purifying system.

For more Brookfield Zoo info visit Chicago Zoological Society/Brookfield.

Jodie Jacobs

One last boo or corn maze and Halloween photo op

 

Halloween at Didier Farm. (J Jacobs photo)
Halloween at Didier Farm. (J Jacobs photo)

It’s hard to believe that October’s 31 days are about over this weekend. But if you still need another pumpkin to carve, yummy kettle corn or cider donut to eat, funny photo cutout or Halloween stuff and costumes, then head to Didier Farms on Aptakisic Road in Chicago’s northwestern suburb of Lincolnshire.

 Every year, the farmstand, started over a century ago in 1912, gets larger for Halloween with more playground space, more rides, more farm animals and more holiday stuff.

Along with the all the fun Halloween yard signs and decorations inside Didier’s large barn, there is another barn with baby chicks, educational farm info and an old tractor.

Go further on the property to visit more animals, find the corn maze a pumpkin patch, a children’s playground and a carnival-style ride.

But as quick as a broomstick can fly away, it all ends Oct. 30. For more information visit Didier Farms.   

Jodie Jacobs

Related: Three Fun Pumpkin Patches and Mazes

A fond First Folio farewell season

 

 

First Folio Cofounder David Rice (Photo courtesy of David Rice)
First Folio Cofounder David Rice (Photo courtesy of David Rice)

Actor, playwright and director David Rice, cofounder of First Folio Theatre in Oakbrook, is reminiscing about how different audience members react to some of its productions’ twists and about the loyalty of supporters. 

After William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night closes April 9, 2023, Rice will take his last bow at the theater he and his late wife and First Folio co-founder actor Alison C. Vesely started in 1996.

 

He is ending as they started – with Shakespeare. Their first production was “The Tempest” in 1997. 

First Folio regulars know that it began by just doing Shakespeare on a large stage on the grounds of the Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oakbrook, a Du Page County Forest Preserve property. 

“We started the theater because we were both interested in doing Shakespeare outdoors,” said Rice, noting that they were both theater professionals.

When the Forest Preserve renovated the estate, First Folio added shows inside. Mostly, they were in the estate’s Hall. But sometimes, such as when doing “The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe,” they moved from room to room for different Poe stories.

First Folio cofounders David Rice and his late wife Alison C. Vesely. (Photo courtesy of First Folio)
First Folio cofounders David Rice and his late wife Alison C. Vesely. (Photo courtesy of First Folio)

He didn’t say whether the company’s final Shakespearean production would be inventive but Rice recalled two different reactions to the company’s take on a Shakespearean comedy. 

“You can’t please all members of an audience at any given show,” he said.

We were doing “Taming of the Shrew.” We set it in the
American Wild West and wrote some fun songs for it that referenced tv shows,” Rice said.

“One night, after the curtain came down, a member of the audience came over and said that was the best Shakespeare comedy he’s seen. He left, and a minute later another member of the audience came and said, please do not do this to Shakespeare again if you want me to come back.”

Fortunately, First Folios’ audiences kept coming back and supported the theater for more than two decades.

This not-for-profit Equity theater has mounted more than 80 productions including 25 shakespeare works outdoors and 14 premiers of which six were commissioned by First Folio.

Mayslake Peabody Mansion home to First Folio Theatre. (J Jacobs photo)
Mayslake Peabody Mansion home to First Folio Theatre. (J Jacobs photo)

“I have learned how much the arts matter to people because it has become part of their lives,” said Rice.

Thinking back on how First Folio followers reacted when his wife lost her battle with cancer in 2016, he said, “I was overwhelmed by the number of people who showed up at her wake.”

 Now he’s hearing from people who heard that 2022-23 is the theatre’s last season. “I’m hearing how much First Folio has meant to them.  People truly become attached.”

“First Folio wouldn’t exist all this time without the support of our community. We would not have survived the pandemic without that support and we still need it this year. Tickets are only 50 percent of expenses.”

The final season is a typical First Folio mix of classics, interesting works and Shakespeare. It opens in November with Margaret Raether’s “Jeeves Intervenes,” followed by Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women,” then Ann Noble’s “And Neither Have I Wings to Fly” and ends in April with “Twelfth Night.”

“I wanted it to end while it was still good and I was still having fun,” said Rice. “I’d like to keep on acting and I have three projects going,” said the actor/director/playwright.

Jodie Jacobs

An Open House Chicago walking tour to try

 

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Glunz on Open House chicago tour (reno Lovison photo)
Glunz on Open House chicago tour (reno Lovison photo)

Open House Chicago is a great way to see some of the city’s landmarks and neighborhoods. The following Old Town / Gold Coast Open House Tour was taken by videographer/podcast editor Reno Lovison during Oct. 15-16 but it is specific enough to copy down and take anytime. )

You don’t need to be an architectural expert to simply look around and enjoy the various styles, building materials and artistic elements that combine to make up Chicago’s diverse urban landscape.

A perfect place to start observing is the Old Town / Gold Coast area where you can find an abundance of 19th century buildings, dating to the city’s early post Great Fire roots, side-by-side with modern, post-modern, late modern and millennium modern building examples.

Here in the heart of the city, you will easily find single family homes and multi-family structures ranging from two story brick and wood structures to over twenty story high glass and steel high-rises, as well as assorted commercial structures built for specific purposes as well as many that have been redeveloped to meet the changing needs of the city’s current inhabitants.

Open House Chicago  takes place every year in October featuring more than 150 locations in over twenty neighborhoods across Chicago and suburbs. During the weekend event, visitors are treated to special access and information provided by onsite experts, however there is no reason that you cannot tour these locations yourself at any time during the year.

The choices I made were made from a list that was part of the 2022 Open House Chicago Program. I also included a few stops that I knew of that I  spotted along the way. As a result my tour is not intended as a comprehensive look at the area but simply an opportunity to take note of some interesting gems that are lurking just under our noses on a daily basis.  

At roughly three miles total I began my self-guided walking tour in Old Town at the corner of Wells and Evergreen in front of the former Dr. Scholl’s factory aka Cobbler’s Square. There is a plaque on the south-east corner that provides a brief history of the original building. Walking south to Division Street you will find the House of Glunz Wine and Spirits, operated by the Glunz family for over 100 years, and one of the few remaining, largely untouched, late 19th century commercial storefronts in the area. 

An old building on Rush Street the Old Town-Gold Coast Chicago tour. (Photo by Reno Lovison)
An old building on Rush Street the Old Town-Gold Coast Chicago tour. (Photo by Reno Lovison)

Continuing south a few blocks you you will see the millennium era Walter Payton College Prep with its almost 80-foot-high glass and steel atrium joining two brick structures on either side. Compare that with the Ruben Salazar Bilingual Center directly across the street. This elementary school building was originally built in 1882 and provides an opportunity to compare the two structures while considering similarities and changes in attitudes regarding education over a one hundred year span.

I made my way east to the Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts at the corner of Dearborn and Oak Streets. Jammed with interesting architectural features inside and out this former single-family residence was built circa 1870 and was converted to a boarding house before transforming to an artist’s work space and gallery in 1921.

From here I meandered over to Rush Street taking time to regard the remaining architectural shadows of the street’s not too distant past. 

Moving north, Rush Street changes its name to State Parkway entering into the heart of the Gold Coast. A quick dip inside the Ambassador Hotel provided a chance to catch the cool mid-century vibe of the former Pump Room, a famed night spot that entertained celebrities and legends though the nineteen forties, fifties and sixties.

While you’re still in the swinging mood, continue north to find the former Playboy Mansion on the west side of the next block before making your way a few blocks further to the Cardinal’s Residence at North Avenue opposite Lincoln Park. On your way you can speculate about the amount of wealth created caterinig to the needs of individuals both sacred and profane.

Standing in the park opposite the Cardinal’s residence you can take in the expansive front lawn of this impressive piece of property.  To the west near the corner, there is a plaque on the edge of the park at Dearborn and North that explains a bit about this location’s history as a former cemetery.

You never know what interesting building or sculpture lies around the corner in the Old town/Gold coast area of Chicago (Photo by reno Lovison)
You never know what interesting building or sculpture lies around the corner in the Old town/Gold coast area of Chicago (Photo by reno Lovison)

Looking to the north is an impressive statue of Abraham Lincoln, to the west of which is the Chicago History Museum with its glass and steel façade and across Clark Street the most interesting shape of the Moody Bible Institute Tabernacle.

Turning back south at North and Clark take a moment to enjoy the historic Germania Club building at Germania Place which currently houses the Lighthouse Immersive Artspace.

Ending my travels was a stroll through Carl Sandburg Village a virtual city within the city. The collection of high-rise and low-rise multi-unit residences are interspersed with single-family townhouses offering a variety of living spaces to accommodate a diversity of middle-income residential needs. Built in the 1960s, Sandburg was intended to be a kind of social buffer separating what was then the lower income Old Town neighborhood from the more affluent Gold Coast. Today it stands as an important example of mid-century urban planning.

Consider following my tour on foot or by bike or make a tour of your own taking time to look around and enjoy the visual spectacle that is Chicago.

Reno Lovison

Reno Lovison has also recorded this as a podcast walking tour at ChicagoBroadcastingNetwork.com

Something is amiss in Camelot

 

Christine Mayland Perkins (Guenevere)) and cast in Music Theater Works' "Camelot" (Photo courtesy of Music Theater Works)
Christine Mayland Perkins (Guenevere)) and cast in Music Theater Works’ “Camelot” (Photo courtesy of Music Theater Works)

Recommended

 

The good part of “Camelot” now playing at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, is the beautiful voice of Christine Mayland Perkins as Guenevere and such wonderful Lerner and Loewe songs as “Camelot,” “How to Handle a Woman,” “If Ever I Would Leave You” “What Do the Simple Folk Do? and “I loved You Once in Silence.”

The problem this writer has with the show is that even though it is put on by Music Theater Works it has nothing like the scope and theatrical impact that the company’s productions had at Kahn Auditorium in Evanston which included a memorable “Mame” and “Pirates.” 

The current slim-down, post pandemic offering is held in the Performing Arts’ smallish North Theatre which works well for Northlight’s plays, but is likely to disappoint Music Theater Works longtime subscribers.

Ann Davis’ set worked well for the stage and small cast of nine but the production felt more like good community theater than the excellent full-scale musicals and operettas that gave Music Theater Works its reputation.

However, current audiences might look beyond scale and appreciated director Brianna Borger’s focus on ideals clashing with desires.

DETAILS: “Camelot” presented by Music Theater Works, runs now through Nov. 13, 2022 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, IL. Running time: 2 hours with one intermission. For tickets visit Musicaltgheaterworks/camelot or call (847) 673-6300.

Jodie Jacobs  

For more shows visit www.theatreinchicago.com

 

  

 

 

 

Theater Comings and Goings

 

Mayslake Peabody Mansion home to First Folio Theatre. (J Jacobs photo)
Mayslake Peabody Mansion home to First Folio Theatre. (J Jacobs photo)

Tis the season for a couple of major changes in suburban theaters.

Most everyone in Chicago’s theater community knows that Goodman Artistic Director Robert Falls had announced leaving in 2022 and that Anton Chekhov’s a “A Cherry Orchard” in Goodman’s 2022-23 season would be his last production. 

But word is out now that Writers Theatre in north suburban Glencoe has found its new artistic director and that the founding executive director of First Folio Theatre in west suburban Oakbrook is retiring.

First, take advantage of seeing a fine Equity production in an atmospheric estate before this not-for-profit theatre in the western suburbs closes in 2023.

With the retirement of Executive Director David Rice after 25 years, First Folio Theatre will be saying goodbye to the remarkable Mayslake Peabody Estate it calls home in Oakbrook.

It’s worth going to the show just to see the estate, but the acting is excellent and the 2022-23 season has four shows representative of the kind of theater experience that gives First Folio a top-notch reputation.

Its final season features Margaret Raether’s “Jeeves Intervenes,” Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women,” Ann Noble’s “And Neither do I Have Wings to Fly” and William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.”

For tickets and more information visit www.firstfolio.org.

 

Writers Theatre in Glencoe. (Photo by J Jacobs)
Writers Theatre in Glencoe. (Photo by J Jacobs)

Now, expect even more new shows and projects than Writers Theatre has accomplished in the past. Seattle Repertory Theatre, the largest not-for profit theater in the Pacific Northwest and known for premiers, is losing Artistic Director Braden Abraham to WT in 2023.

He will be coming to town shortly after the late December 2022 closing of the premier of “Mr. Dickens and His Carol” by Samantha Silva that Abraham developed and is directing.  

Interim Artistic director Bobby Kennedy has been helming productions since WT co-founder Michael Halberstam resigned in July 2021.

Founded in 1992, WT has done more than 120 productions ranging from re- interpretations of classics to holding more than two dozen world premieres.

It also built a highly acclaimed theater complex designed by Jeanne Gang and her Studio Gang Architects.  

Jodie Jacobs

 

 

Jeff Equity awards announced

Drury Lane, Oakbrook, hosted the Jeff Equity Awards ceremony and announcement for 2022. (Drury Lane photo)
Drury Lane, Oakbrook, hosted the Jeff Equity Awards ceremony and announcement for 2022. (Drury Lane photo)

The 54th Jeff Equity awards ceremony, hosted by Chicagoan E. Faye Butler and directed by Jim Corti with music direction by David Fiorello, announced 46 winners in artistic and technical categories at Drury Lane Theatre, Oakbrook, Oct. 17, 2022.

The evening was a celebration of in person theater after going dark following the 2019 COVID outbreak. This year, the ceremony featured several nominated productions.

Paramount Theatre walked off with six awards in various categories for its production of “Kinky Boots” and Goodman Theatre earned five awards for “Good Night, Oscar” plus an award for “Gem of the Ocean.”

Red Orchid Theatre took home five awards for “the Moors” and Porchlight Music Theatre received four awards for “Blues in the Night.”

“Short Run Productions” was added this year as a new category to acknowledge the value of shorter productions and also recognize theaters returning to in-person shows following COVID pandemic closures.

For more award listings go to Jeff Equity Awards.  

For acceptance speeches and special moments check the Jeff Awards YouTube channel.

Jodie Jacobs

Three Fun Pumpkin Patches and Mazes

Maze at Krill's Farm (J Jacobs photo
Maze at Krill’s Farm (J Jacobs photo

It’s only midway through fall and October which means it is not too late to take a family field trip out into the countryside to find the perfect pumpkin or explore a corn maze or take a hayride. The following three farms offer a variety of activities and a maze of possibilities for all ages.

Kroll’s Fall Harvest Farm at the far northwestern (the boonies) part of Waukegan must have a local following because it is out of sight, off the main road but reasonably busy.   

After finding Kroll’s with our GPS, we refueled on yummy pumpkin donuts then explored the farm.  Youngsters were having fun feeding the hens and llamas while young adults and couples were taking photos of each other behind cutouts of funny figures. 

Feeding the llamas and hens are part of the Kroll Farm experience.
Feeding the llamas and hens are part of the Kroll Farm experience.

Their next stop was the bench where everyone waited for hayride before wandering through the maze and then going over to the pumpkin patch for the right size large one to carve or small pumpkins to easily carry away.

Kroll’s is a good, low-keyed farm experience. For hours, pricing and more info visit Kroll’s Fall Harvest Farm,  13236 W. Townline Rd. Waukegan, IL (847) 662-5733.

 

All Seasons pumpkin Patch ( Photo courtesy of All Seasons Orchard)
All Seasons pumpkin Patch (Photo courtesy of All Seasons Orchard)

All Seasons, a good apple-picking place in Woodstock, turns to fall with fun activities for different ages.

It has a good-size corn maze of 10 acres with two paths – short and easy and long and harder. There is also a good pumpkin patch, pony rides and excellent apple cider donuts to eat on the way home.

All Seasons Orchard is at 14510 IL Route 176 Woodstock, IL, (815) 338-5637 For hours, pricing and more information visit All Seasons Orchard.

 

James Bond Corn Maze at Richardson Farm in Spring Grove. (Photo courtesy of Richardson Farm)
James Bond Corn Maze at Richardson Farm in Spring Grove. (Photo courtesy of Richardson Farm)

Richardson Farm in Spring Grove, has different experiences for different ages in the fall. It turns 28 acres of corn into a large sprawling maze of 9-10 miles of trails.

They are divided into four mazes to cater to different ages and difficulty. The maze is always interestingly themed. This year, 2022, it has a James Bond spy theme.

Among the other activities are wagon rides, zip lining and a picnic food and area. 

Ricardson Farm is at 909 English Prairie Rd., Spring Grove, 815) 675-9729. Foe pricing, hours and more information visit Richardson Farm

Jodie Jacobs