Nestled in the woods at 178 Fisher Road, roughly 6 miles outside of Crystal Falls, Loud Acres Farm has been in Wolak’s family for four generations, dating back to the 1800s. Now used as a shed, the original farmhouse still stands.

A love of dirt bike racing led Wolak to rename the farm Loud Acres — he actually built a race track for himself and friends.

But the main feature in fall is the three different corn mazes, which Rouse said sets Loud Acres Farm apart from other attractions in Iron County or even the surrounding areas.

“We do things differently, like old school farmers,” Rouse said. “We want to do something for the children. When we were children, we always had a farm to go to for education.”

Riki Lynn Rouse and Donald Wolak

One of the mazes is a scavenger hunt, with antique items such as camera flash cubes and wood curling irons that children — and maybe even their parents — may not recognize at first.

Another maze takes up almost 10 acres and involves finding hidden playing cards.

“We do not have maps. You have to figure it out and there is no rhyme or reason — you have to know your direction and follow the tree line,” Rouse said. “Everything is reverse psychology. When you come here, you have to have a sense of humor.”

Then there is the haunted maze, the Field of Screams, that happens on Saturday nights. Rouse describes the Field of Screams as its own little carnival. It extends not just through a corn maze but into haunted barns and even the woods. Scary actors hide throughout and constantly move around, so no matter how many times a person goes through, the experience is different.

In addition to the mazes Loud Acres Farm has games such as giant-sized Jenga, tic-tac-toe, a bowling game and a sand pit.

LOUD ACRES FARM, 178 Fisher Road in Crystal Falls, is a working farm most of the year but offers corn mazes in the fall through Halloween, including the Field of Screams.

Yet it remains a working farm — in addition to corn, Wolak and Rouse raise cattle and chickens. Seven to eight months of planning and weeks of preparation go into the two months every fall that the mazes operate. The corn fields still need to be cut and harvested after Halloween.

Running the events requires more than 45 volunteers for admission, parking, security and the scary actors for the Field of Screams.

Rouse said the effort is worth it to see the crowds, adding they get bigger every year. He estimates more than 1,000 people will come through the farm this year.

During the week, Loud Acres Farm welcomes school groups from across the western Upper Peninsula. This year they had a group of senior citizens, many of whom grew up on a farm and enjoyed being back.

Looking to the future, Rouse said they would like to put up a pole barn so Loud Acres Farm could also have winter events. This fall the farm hosted Anything on Wheels, a car show.

Each weekend has a changing lineup of vendors selling food, crafts, baked goods and fresh vegetables.

Rouse also offers mums, cornstalks, gourds and pumpkins at Loud Acres farm.

From 6 to 9:30 p.m. Friday will be $5 Flashlight Nights, when children and adults can go through the maze with no scary actors, just the night sky. Visitors should bring their own flashlights.

Saturday From 7 to 10 p.m. is the Field of Screams and Haunted Farm Last Hoorah. For $12, guests can go through as many times as they like.

Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. will be Corn Maze Day and Petting Zoo. Admission is $5, with no charge for ages 3 and younger. An extra $2 provides a hayride around the farm.

Jim Paul can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 229, or jpaul@ironmountaindailynews.com.