The family-owned Fowler Pumpkin Patch reopened just a few weeks ago for the 2024 season, featuring a coach Bob Knight corn maze.
The patch includes an assortment of activities suitable for all ages. Visitors can pick the perfect pumpkin, hop on a spooky hayride or pet cuddly farm animals. Younger guests might enjoy the kiddie barrel train or brand-new kids play area, while 21-and-older guests can sip on a drink at the beer garden.
This year’s crowning attraction, however, is the maze. The rectangular maze pictures Bob Knight mid-action, pointing and seemingly shouting at a player. Beside him, his famous nickname, “The General,” is displayed, with his signature, "Bob Knight," covering his shoulder on the bottom left.
“(To) people my age who grew up here, he was a hero,” Owner Perry Fowler said about Knight. “He’s the guy you wanted to play ball for. He was all that.”
Knight coached the IU men’s basketball team from 1971 to 2000, leading the team to three national championships, 11 Big Ten championships and one National Invitation Tournament title. After 29 seasons of triumph, evidence surfaced that Knight had been abusive toward players. As a result, he was dismissed from IU.
Last November, the former coach passed away at age 83 after struggling with several health issues, including Alzheimers.
Despite Knight’s controversial reputation, Fowler said the corn maze has been received positively.
“Each year, we do a theme on the corn maze…and we tie it to a charity,” Fowler said.
After discussion with Knight’s son, Pat Knight, they agreed that a portion of this year’s profits be donated to Alzheimer's research.
“Our opening weekend, $1 of every corn maze went to Alzheimer’s research, and now we have donation buckets around,” Fowler said.
The Fowlers hope to raise a few thousand dollars for the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Service (ADRS).
In past years, Fowler said the corn maze has been shaped like a ribbon for breast cancer awareness, a cat and dog for the Humane Society and a puzzle piece for autism awareness.
“According to one of the kids that worked for me, this one is one of the hardest ones we’ve had yet,” he said.
This year, the maze was cut around the Fourth of July, and Fowler said the process took around eight hours.
“We contract a company from Kansas City to do that for us,” Fowler said. “We just give them an idea, and they start running maze designs past us. And once we tell them what we want, we pay the check, and they come and cut.”
The Fowlers’ charity extends beyond the maze. Two Monday nights per year, they open the pumpkin patch free of charge to families of children with developmental disabilities.
“You have to schedule, and there’s only 10 families allowed per hour,” Fowler said. “That way the kids don’t get overwhelmed and they can enjoy themselves.”
Brittany Couch, a local Girl Scout leader, said the Girl Scouts have hosted their family night at the pumpkin patch multiple years in a row.
“They are super gracious hosts,” Couch said. “All of our girls come back and say they had a great time. They had the opportunity to go pick some pumpkins or pet the animals or go in the corn maze.”
Kevin Burke, a utility worker at the patch, echoed Couch’s sentiment.
“(My favorite part is) just to see the kids happy, to see the kids enjoy themselves, to see the families happy,” Burke said.
Fowler Pumpkin Patch, located at 5060 N. Greene County Line Road, will be open to the public Tuesday through Sunday until Oct. 31.
