Shawn Stolworthy might have the world’s best summer job. Each June, he packs up his wife and kids – ages 3, 5, 8 and 11 – their nanny, his John Deere, and a slew of top-secret GPS equipment, then hits the road. Until September, he and his crew cruise coast to coast in a plush Mercedes-powered motor home, seeing the sights – oh, and tearing up about 100 cornfields.

Who is this guy? The one behind the miles-long Leelanau County labyrinth that is Jacob’s Corn Maze. He’s nationally renowned for his work: tilling under half-grown stalks of corn to make elaborate pathways, which thousands of people pay to get lost in – and find their way out of – every autumn.

Starting this weekend, Jacob’s Corn Maze offers Stolworthy’s latest local masterpiece: five miles of trail that twist and turn through 10 acres, ultimately outlining the shape of a pirate ship.

Michael Witkop, owner of the Leelanau property where Jacob’s is located, hired Stolworthy for the first time four years ago, hoping to transform his 119-year-old family farm into an agricultural attraction so it could survive into the next generation.

“It was a risk in that here he shows up, spins around in my field for six hours, then says, ‘OK, send me a check,’” says Witkop.

But two weeks later, when the corn surrounding the tilled paths shot up, Witkop had a pilot friend shoot an aerial photo of the maze. The design was spot on, he says.

So what’s the secret to Stolworthy’s success? Unlike most maze makers, he has devised a specialized GPS-driven system that allows him and his clients to dream up just about any design imaginable and convert it into an unmistakably accurate picture that's also a maze. Among his inventory of 300+ designs: a full-length Frankenstein, the Polar Express, and Sarah Palin’s face.

When The Ticker met the maze maker at Jacob’s, he wouldn’t allow any photographs to capture any of the equipment mounted on and inside his tractor. He hinted only that his eyes are so focused on the laptop affixed to the steering wheel, he once drove into and pushed a farmer’s hunting blind across a cornfield without noticing.

Likely, few farmers are complaining – Witkop least of all. Though he declines to say how much it costs to make a maze of Jacob’s size – he does allow that it’s “in the mid five-figure range” – so many people traipse through Jacob’s Corn Maze each year, Witkop says he plans to invest in the business for years to come. This year saw the addition of a new building for families to relax and hang post-maze; soon he hopes to outfit the old barn as a classroom for educational, agricultural programs for the community.

As for the Stolworthy family, they’re nearing the end of their summer tilling travels and heading back home to Firth, Indiana, where Stolworthy himself used to farm. When he gave it up 13 years ago to make mazes, he says his wife thought he was crazy.

“So did my dad. And my wife’s dad. Come to find out, so did my banker,” he says. A shy grin flashes across his face. “But they all like it now.”

Lose Yourself
Jacob’s Corn Maze is open this weekend through the end of October for day and night maze adventures. Learn more and get an overview of this year’s Pirate Ship scene here.

Bonus Video
Check out a nighttime time-lapse video of flashlight-guided maze-goers exploring Jacob's Corn Maze. Courtesy of Ken Scott Photography.