|
|
|
|
Cornfield Maze 
Bennington, VT - As celebrations commemorating the 225th anniversary of a battle that was pivotal to winning the Revolutionary War continue, The Apple Barn & Country Bake Shop, opened Vermont's oldest Cornfield Maze, depicting a colonial warrior and the Battle of Bennington Monument on August 16th, 2002.
"The British described the colonials as a gather storm on the left after their encounter," said Harry Diamond, who runs the Apple Barn. "When I read that, I knew I wanted the maze to reflect that spirit." The Battle of Bennington Cornfield Maze, carefully crafted out of 225,000 stalks of corn challenges maze questors to conquer the maze and learn about how troops from Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont combined to defeat the British in their bid to take New York. For Maize Questors, the challenge will be in winding pathways filled with games and puzzles to be solved. After defeating the maize, Maize Questors can also take in the Monument and the nearby battlefield. In August 1777, the British General Burgoyne's Canadian supply lines were growing thin as he marched down the Hudson River. Scouts reported fresh supplies, much needed by Burgoyne, could be had if provisions and weapons deployed at the Continental Storehouse in Bennington, were captured. Burgoyne ordered Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Baum and his Hessian, British and Indian troops to advance on Bennington. General John Stark, commander of the American forces, came to the defense of Vermont when his forces from New Hampshire and Massachusetts joined with Colonel Seth Warner's Green Mountain Boys to defend the Bennington stores. Colonial forces surrounded Baum and, on August 16, the British were routed. British failure at Bennington led to Burgoyne's defeat at Saratoga two months later. The twin defeats prompted formal recognition of the fledgling country by France, which forged a decisive military alliance, ultimately helping to win the war. The Battle of Bennington Cornfield Maze runs through October 31 and includes special events each weekend. Admission is $5 for Maize Questors ages 13 or more and $3 for children. The Apple Barn offers special rates for groups.
|
|||||||||
|
[Events][Business Directory]
[Local Lore][Towns & Villages]
[Arts & Culture][Publications][Links][Search][Forums]
[This is Vermont home page] |
||||||||||
