These corn mazes, along with pumpkin patches and hayrides, are really popular in the fall. They’re great family fun, especially as summer wanes and the air starts to cool. These activities in the U.S. ease us into Halloween and Thanksgiving and help us prepare for winter and the Christmas holidays.
Goebel Farms is a popular autumn destination for people in Indiana. This year, they have chosen to honor the late Charlie Kirk with the design of their corn maze.
Their intentions are not political. Goebel Farms chose to honor Kirk because he believed that disagreements should lead to conversations, not violence. They say that although not everyone agreed with his beliefs or methods, he recognized that when people stop talking, division deepens and it becomes easier to dehumanize others.
After announcing this year's maze theme, Goebel Farms received dozens of negative Google reviews on its business page, so the farm shared this statement on social media after backlash from some community members.
“We want to provide some additional context about our decision to feature Charlie Kirk in this year’s corn maze.
Our intention was not to suggest that everyone should share Charlie’s beliefs or agree with every statement he made. We recognize that he was a polarizing public figure and that many people strongly disagreed with his views and methods.
Charlie was killed while publicly expressing and debating his convictions. In a country founded on the principles of free speech, no person should lose his or her life for participating in political discussion. People are free to challenge ideas, criticize them, and reject them—but violence must never become the response to speech.
That is central to the meaning behind our maze. Even when our disagreements are serious, we must continue talking and listening to one another. When conversation stops, division deepens, and it becomes easier to view people as enemies rather than neighbors.