Fall Fun

Take one crazy farmer, a beautiful September day in Michigan, and MG car enthusiasts and it all leads to…an unforgettable time! Farmer Bill Hirsch, our current Old Speckled Hens president, who apparently doesn’t have enough to do, decided that if he took out 5 rows of corn it would be possible to make a maze that was an ideal size for our little cars. But automated farm equipment would cut a much larger swath than that, so the cutting began by hand. Through this large corn field over a mile of trails were cut by Bill and his sons. Over 80 truckloads of corn stalks were removed, ground up and fed to his happy cows.

When the morning dawned with beautiful sunshine and moderate temperatures—plus a dry field—it all added up to a great day. There were many areas in the maze where one could make a wrong turn. There were also a number of different exits, one coming out of the north side of the field over a half of a mile away.

After going over a few rules, engines were started and the cars began to lumber into the maze. The very first decisive turn was a tricky one. A mistake would immediately route the driver right back out the entrance in full view of the rest of the drivers. Further in there were abundant opportunities to take the wrong path, and with the corn eight feet high it was tough to tell exactly what direction you were pointed in. There were a fortunate few who did make it all the way without any mistakes using logic and a bit of blind luck.

At the end of the event, every car was covered in dust and dirt. And every face was covered in a big smile.

By Robert Davidson
Old Speckled Hen MG Car Club