HighTide Church plans hay maze at Roxana fire hall

Those hoping to celebrate Halloween a little early this year, who want to enjoy a safe and fun night with the family need look no further.

HighTide Church will hold its ninth annual Hay Maze event on Friday, Oct. 26, from 6 to 8 p.m. on the grounds of the Roxana fire hall.

“Ten years ago, our church was just starting out. We had maybe 30 or 40 people coming. We went to a neighborhood event in the Mill Pond in Selbyville, and they had this awesome maze. We said, ‘Next year, let’s do something for the church,’” explained the Rev. Andy Ehlers. “We got five or six hundred bales of straw. We set up this maze for the kids to go through. And, at the end of the maze, we gave each kid a bag of candy and a little brochure about our church. And people just loved it.”

Over the years, the event has also been held at Mill Pond and Dagsboro Church of God, and it is returning to the Roxana fire hall this year. The free event is open to anyone in the community who is looking for fun and safe Halloween activities.

“It’s just a great, safe, fun event for kids around this time of year. Kids come in costumes. We give out free hot dogs, free popcorn, free hot chocolate and free bags of candy. We have some entertainment, some games on stage for parents and kids to interact together. We’ll have kids and parents competing against each other in silly games. The volunteer fire company is there, and they’ll have truck and lights on. It’s a great family event.”

Along with the free food and entertainment, the main attraction is the hay maze, which is being hailed as the best in the event’s history.

“We get a thousand bales of straw, and we stack them about three bales high and set it up in a maze. It’s not as big as a corn maze, but for young elementary and preschool children it’s fantastic,” said Ehlers, adding that parents are encouraged to go through the maze with their children. “It’s challenging for the younger kids. They really enjoy it. The older kids can see over the top a little bit, but everyone has a good time.”

Ehlers said that 600 to 800 people attend the annual event and always leave smiling.

“People really just thank us a lot for it. So many people will show up! It’s really neat. It’s a great family event, if you’re looking for something fun to do.”

Ehlers said the genesis of the event stemmed from the church wanting to reach out into the community in a positive way.

“The mindset when we first started doing this kind of thing was, ‘What can we do to help out, help families out?’ It’s really been neat to just give back to the community. We don’t want to be a church that’s asking the community for stuff — we want to be a blessing in the community.

“It’s a neat event to reach out to the community, and say, ‘Hey, we’re a church that’s here if you’re in need or looking for a place to worship. We’d love to have you.’ But there’s really no strings attached. We honestly want to have a safe fun family event.”

Ehlers said he hopes everyone in the community will attend the event with their family and friends, to take part in some good family fun.

“It’s a safe place for people in our church to maybe invite family members who maybe don’t go to a church, just to come to an event and have a good time,” he said. “It’s really neat to see kids bring their friends. My kids, every year, can’t wait to invite their friends.

“It’s a chance to just get the community together to hang out and to see kids and other families, going through life just like we are. We’d love to see a lot of people come out and enjoy a great evening together as a family and bond with their family together and, hopefully, meet some new friends.”
For more information, visit www.hightidechurch.org or call (302) 732-3303. The Roxana fire hall is located at 39453 Zion Church Road (Route 20), east of Route 17.