About Us

The Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch At The Stickley Farm

We are pleased to announce the First Annual Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch at The Stickley Farm. The fall event will open on September 7th and run through October 31st. The Stickley Farm is located in Sullivan County just a mile off of highway 394 on Beaver Creek Road.

Corn Mazes have become extremely popular all across the country. Many have developed into large community events that people look forward to year after year.

This years maze has been designed and will be professionally cut using GPS mapping technology by Shawn Stolworthy of MazePlay. Shawn started his business in 1998 and has designed and cut hundreds of mazes all across the United States and Canada. MazePlay mazes have been the subject of hundreds of features on TV and in newspapers and magazines. They have received national attention on ABC, CBS and NBC television as well as many independent networks. They have been featured in the New York and L.A. Times, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal. Many of the mazes Shawn has designed and cut can be seen at MazePlay.com.

This years maze will be a tribute to the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion and it showcases the Tennessee state quarter cut into 11 acres of the over 100 acres of corn being grown on the farm. There are acres of pumpkins growing right beside the maze area. After the maze is cut in early August we will have an aerial photograph taken so all can see the amazing artwork covering a canvas of corn over 10 acres in size and ten feet tall. The challenge of the maze is a puzzle that all can enjoy from young to old. The maze will consist of two different mazes within the overall maze with over four miles of paths between the two.

The Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch are only the centerpiece of this almost two month long event. We will have many unique, entertaining and educational venues and events in conjunction with the maze itself. Families and individuals alike will find something challenging, adventuresome or fun to do no matter the age.

About the Stickley Family and Farm:

The Stickley Farm was established in the early 1930's with the purchase of two farms on Beaver Creek by F W and Mima Stickley, my grandparents. Known as Stickley Dairy through much of its life the farm began as a dairy operation, producing, bottling and selling milk door to door in the Bristol area through the depression era and into the 1940's. My grandmother was the driving force to keep the operation going while my dad and uncle served overseas in World War II. The farm originally was almost four hundred acres and at one time between owned and leased land we farmed 500 acres, making it one of the larger operations in Sullivan County. The bottling operation ceased late in the 1940's but the dairy continued for 50 more years. Corn and hay have always been raised on the farm. A beef cattle operation was added and was part of the farm for many years. Tobacco was also grown as a supporting crop at times.

As is the natural order of things on most family farms, my dad and mother, W Scott and Betty Stickley bought the farm from my grandparents. Dad ran the farm and mother taught school and my brothers and I grew up knowing the family farm as a way of life. Working on the farm as kids, my brothers and I graduated through the Bristol TN school system and then college, with two of us returning to the farm after graduation. The fourth generation of Stickleys is now actively involved with the farm. My four sons are all working with me on this event in one capacity or another.

Our goals with this venture are based on three main objectives. First, the farm is and always has been a business. Our country, state and community, historically are rooted in the family farm and agriculture. Family farms have come under increasing pressure over the last 20-30 years. The agricultural economy in the US and worldwide has changed drastically making it much more difficult for the family farm to remain viable. Many farms have turned to non-traditional crops and to agri-tourism in efforts to not only survive but also make a reasonable income. The increasing demand for land for homes, commerce and industry has driven up taxes and land prices to the point that family farms have no choice but to collapse under the pressure. More change is inevitable and to survive you must be able to adapt. That is part of what this venture is about.

Secondly, we want to provide something that is valuable to the community and even the region in terms of an educational link back to agriculture. At the same time we want it to be a fun adventure that holds something for everyone of any age. We hope it will become an annual fall event that brings kids and adults alike together for an enjoyable outdoor experience.

Finally, we want to make this truly a 'community' event reaching as much of northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia as possible. We have structured it in such a way as to 'give back' to the community through charitable events and contributions to worthwhile causes. We intend to expand on this as opportunities present themselves.

Since this is our first year in this endeavor we know we will make mistakes. We are dedicated however to working within the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. We welcome all constructively critical comments and suggestions.