Clint and Angie Masse of A Maze in Corn say it’s official, they’ve got the Guinness World Record certificate to prove it. Upon completion, the maze near St. Adolphe measured 2,789.11 square meters, beating the previous recordholders in Thunder Bay by more than 1,000 square meters.
“It’s mostly a big win for Manitoba,” says Angie Masse. “That’s what we’re excited about. [It’s great to] get people excited about winter. It turned into not only a neat world record but a great winter venue that people just came out to enjoy.”
On February 10, the couple hired Barnes and Duncan surveyors to measure the maze and document the results, which were then submitted to Guinness World Records. Notification of their success finally arrived on March 4.
Masse says, based on the support they received this year, they expect to do it again next year—and they are already contemplating ways to improve it.
“If you know us at all, we will probably always want to try and keep the record,” she says. “Unfortunately, we’re [both] competitive and that’s why we get really excited about it. Clint, of course, likes building things bigger and I’m the one who logistically thinks of what customers enjoy.”
In addition to the snow maze, it’s the site’s Snow Mountain that’s been a big highlight for kids. The massive mound of snow has kept children busy with climbing and high-altitude play. Next year, the Masses hope to add a toboggan slide to the feature.
The maze has drawn in visitors from around the globe. So far, the couple has met people from Argentina, France, and England. Groups and individuals have driven in from Saskatchewan and the United States. One couple drove all the way from Pennsylvania just for the unique snow maze experience.
But those aren’t the only interesting visitors they’ve entertained. In early March, a film crew showed up to use the site as a backdrop for their movie set.
“It all happened on the same day,” Masse marvels. “We got the official word from Guinness and then we got the official word that [a production company was] going to film this exciting movie [here]. It’s not Hallmark, but they’re along the lines of a Hallmark film. It’s got pretty good actors in it and we’re really excited.”
The production company and actors are filming on every area of the grounds, including in the maze and the Masses’ house located to the east. Unfortunately, it’s meant that the family has been temporarily evicted from their home until the movie shoot is complete. It’s been disruptive but exciting all at the same time, she says.
“We might be some of the stunt doubles,” Masse jokes. “I’d like to say that I could be a stunt double for the [actress] because she’s super cute.”
The movie is expected to be out for Christmas 2019. For now, it will help cover the costs incurred in building the snow maze. Otherwise, Masse says, they would have just broken even.
“It was a very cold winter,” Masse says. “We started off with a bang coming in, which was wonderful, because that really helped out financially… Otherwise, I think we’d be pretty discouraged. You can’t blame people for not wanting to come out when every weekend it seemed like there was a cold weather warning.”
And, like the corn maze, it’s a short season. The couple anticipates that it will be all over once above-zero temperatures linger for longer periods of the day later this month. The concern is not for the stability of the maze walls, which are two feet thick, but rather the grounds and parking areas that will inevitably turn swampy.
To prepare for corn-seeding in early May, they expect to bulldoze the maze and spread the snow to aid in melting and runoff.
Spring flooding is always a concern for the couple, too. The Masse family was forced to evacuate the property in 2009, 2010, and 2011.
“We’re in the worst place here,” says Masse. “We’ve got the [Seine River] diversion and the Red River and everything backs up right here. We’re getting really good at preparing for a flood.”
In spite of that, they’ve never had to miss a season of seeding. For a few more weeks, though, they can keep revelling in their recent world record accomplishment.
“People are just very appreciative of the hard work it was to put this thing up,” Masse affirms. “I think that’s why people are very supportive of us getting the record.”
