Over the weekend, Ken Todd brought his grandson, five-year old Ryker to Silver Rill Corn to enjoy a little Sunday fun day.
It was the last weekend of summer and they were the first guests to arrive when the corn maze opened at 10 a.m. Farm owner Rachelle Fox and her children welcomed them with a big smile, just like they would family and friends.
"Most people that have visited say they've been coming to the farm for years," Fox shared. "We have people that have left the area and have come back excited to see there's something new here."
As if on cue, Fox recognized Todd as they were walking through the maze - the same man who helped get her ready for her Class 4 driving test some years ago. He drove for the Saanich School District for 27 years and worked as a driving instructor.
It was a random reunion that perfectly captured the heart behind the creation of the corn maze - family.
During their walk between 14-feet tall rows of corn, Todd regaled his grandson with stories and read several corn trivia posted around the pathways and dead ends in between "corny" jokes.
"You know why you can't tell secrets in here? Because there's too many ears." Ryker smiled and quickly turned around to look for the exit, but not before calling his grandpa over to join him in one of the corner cross paths.
A signage placed deep inside the corn maze, "Feel like you've been here before?" prompted the five-year old to ask, "How do we get back?"
"We have to work on that," Ken answered. It was Ryker's very first corn maze experience.
The real children of the corn
The 2-acre maze of cow corns was designed by the fifth generation of Silver Rill - eight-year old Paxton, four-year old Colton, and Everly, who just turned three.
"They were the inspiration behind this corn maze," Fox said. "We wanted something we could open up to the public to have everybody else's kids enjoy what we get to enjoy every day with our kids, which is farm life in general."
It's the first time ever in Silver Rill history that they've opened a corn maze.
Paxton, their eldest son, is quite the passionate farmer, having spent hours in the tractor with his dad putting corn transplants. On this particular Sunday, he seemed to have taken to farm work naturally, making sure his siblings don't break corn stalks or wander off the path - the number one rule, their parents asked them to follow while walking through the maze.
Fox said their children have spent most of their time out in the corn field and have been playing in the maze at least once a day since they built it.
"I guess they really are the real children of the corn," she said.
Almost a century of farming
Arriving with a truckload of freshly harvested corns, dad Clayton walked over to the maze entrance and gazed at the scene unfolding before him - parents walking in with excited kids in tow.
"The name Silver Rill was created in 1926. My great grandfather was the one who started the name," he said. "It was a dairy when it first started right behind the Saanich fair grounds. It's gone through some transitioning over the years. There was a dairy and then there was a produce farm split from it eventually and my family took over the produce aspect of it."
When they first officially bought the farm this year, their goal was to expand and create a hub where people can come and congregate with the community and not just get corn and run away.
The corn maze is one of the many ideas they have come up with to help increase visits to the farm.
"We want to up our sales in October too," Clayton said. "We're known for the corn but lots of people think summer's over and corn season's over too, but we actually keep selling good quality corn all the way past Thanksgiving."
Aside from the sweet corn, they also grow non-GMO carrots, beans, peas and berries, to name a few.
In 2026, Silver Rill Corn will mark its 100th year as a farm. The Fox family has some big plans on the horizon, including possibly a bigger corn maze now that they've had first-hand experience building their first.
The corn maze is located at 7117 Central Saanich Road in Saanichton and is open from Thursday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
