Giant corn maze in Newfoundland honours Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope

It was 35 year ago when Terry Fox captured our hearts during his inspirational Marathon of Hope, and two brothers from the east coast have chosen to mark the occasion in the best way they know how.

The Hunter Brothers Farm in Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick, has been carving corn mazes for many years but this season, they took some more inspiration from the Canadian hero.

“We’d like it to be Canadian, we’d like to be educational, and we’d like there to be a good picture, a good graphic that you can use with it,” Chip Hunter, who’s been creating corn mazes in his farm for 17 years, told Global News. “This had all three immediately.”

Forming the 2.5 hectare corn maze took almost a year of planning, reported CBC News. The New Brunswick maze will also include a scavenger hunt with trivia questions to educate people on Terry Fox and his legacy.

But there’s also a personal story behind the subject matter.

In April 1980, Fox began his marathon in St. John’s, Newfoundland, to raise money for cancer research and awareness. His goal was to run across Canada on his artificial leg everyday until he reached the Pacific ocean.

During his run Fox had passed by Chip, then a young boy, at Hunter’s farm. Hunter remembers running out in front of the house to shake Fox’s hand.

“My friend came into my yard, came roaring by, screaming ‘Terry Fox is coming by!’ Let’s set the lawn chairs on the front yard and watch,” Hunter told Global News.

“We could see the RCMP car, and then Terry came by. We stopped him, and he took a picture with us,” he said.

Fox made it as far as Thunder Bay, Ontario, after he was forced to stop due to the return of his cancer. He passed away in June, 1981 at the age of 22, but the legacy that he left behind will surely never die.

To date, more than $650 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry’s name, according to the Terry Fox Foundation.

Hunter hopes his maze will raise more money towards the cause.