Corn Maze Celebrates Boeing Jet

The fourth week in September 2011 will be one for Boeing’s history books.

Early in the week, the aerospace giant delivered its first completed 787 Dreamliner after years of delays and promises that it would reshape the wide-body aircraft industry.

Then, on Thursday, came another ribbon cutting as the company’s top boss in South Carolina left his North Charleston office for a dusty cornfield in Mount Pleasant.

“I’ve cut a lot of ribbons … but never in a corn maze,” said Jack Jones, Boeing’s South Carolina vice president, standing at the edge of corn maze. “I feel more like a South Carolinian every day.”

Cut in varying designs over the years, Boone Hall's maze pays homage this year to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the jet being constructed by thousands of South Carolina workers in North Charleston.

On Thursday, Jones and Boone Hall owner Willie McRae cut the ribbon on the maze and officially opened the plantation’s slate of fall events.

Sponsored by Boeing, last weekend the aerospace giant brought out roughly 5,000 employees and their families for a two-day weekend festival at Boone Hall. Previous year’s mazes were cut to promote South Carolina tourism and Mount Pleasant’s own tourism initiative.

Boeing announced plans to build its 1.2 million-square-foot North Charleston assembly plant in 2009. South Carolina recruited the airplane giant with a multi-year tax-break package estimated to be worth between $450 million and $900 million.

Thursday’s grand opening of the maze brought out a throng of Boeing managers and local reporters. Partnering with Boeing, said Boone Hall managers, just made sense.

“Early in our talks with Boeing, it became very, very clear that Boeing had tremendous commitment to the community, to its employees and to its company,” said Rick Benthall, Boone Hall spokesman. “It was a priority, for anything they were involved in, that first their employees could benefit … and that the community could benefit.”

The 787 Dreamliner, a revolutionary aircraft that is marketed around promises to reduce fuel costs through lighter materials and is said to improve passenger comfort with lower cabin pressure and better window placement.

“Boeing South Carolina was a big part of making that happen,” Jones said. “The aft section of the airplane, the mid section of the airplane (are) all from South Carolina. The reason I bring up the most sophisticated, technologically advanced airplane in the world is because that would make this the sophisticated, technologically advanced corn maze in the world, right?”

contracts with a corn-maze designer who creates the intricate field by using GPS guidance to expertly cut the field into varying designs.

“This is great branding,” Jones said. “From 30,000 feet, or from a satellite, if someone is spying on Boeing, hopefully they see the corn maze as a reminder of what we do.

, which bills itself as the oldest still operating plantation in the country, traces its roots to a land grant in 1680. Yearlong the plantation operates tours of its Colonial Revival plantation home as well as slave cabins located along its avenue of oak trees.

The maze will be open daily from Sept. 30 to Oct. 31. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Admission prices:

$8 - Monday through Thursday
$10 - Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Two For Tuesday special includes free adult admission with a paid child.
Children under 3 are admitted free with accompanying adult.

Admission to the historic attractions is not included in the fall attraction ticket prices.

For more information vist Boone Hall's website: www.BooneHallPumpkinPatch.com