Brookfield farm joins nationwide Dolly Parton corn mazes
Twenty farms across the U.S. and Canada have carved large corn mazes honoring Dolly Parton this fall, including one in Brookfield, Connecticut, next to Twins BBQ. The mazes were designed months before Parton’s death due to cancer on Aug. 25 in Nashville at age 80, according to the Utah-based consulting company that created them.
The likeness of Parton beams skyward in the Brookfield cornfield, ringed by the words “Dolly” and “An American Treasure” and a series of stars. The mazes are located in about a dozen states and two provinces, from Alabama to California and Ohio to Texas.
Brett Herbst, founder of The Maize Inc., called Parton a “true American treasure.”
“Dolly’s impact on the world and her love for farming is immeasurable, and our corn maze tributes now take on new meaning and significance,” Herbst said.
The company said the mazes are part of its annual campaign honoring country music’s brightest stars. Previous honorees included Reba McEntire in 2023, Luke Bryan in 2024 and Lainey Wilson in 2025. Most of the mazes also feature a Parton-themed trivia game, photo ops and other offerings.
Danielle Gallop co-owns Twins BBQ with her husband. She said she did not know much about Parton before attending last year’s corn maze convention at Dollywood, the Tennessee theme park Parton co-owned.
“They told us all about her integrity and how she ran all of her businesses and how smart and generous and kind and just really ethical and humble” Parton was, Gallop said, “which is all the things that we aspire to be as business owners.”
Parton’s passing “made it exponentially more meaningful” to be honoring her this year, Gallop added. “She was such an icon.”
Stephanie Chen and her young son, William, were among those winding through the Parton maze Sunday. They said the easiest part was navigating the section where “Dolly” is written out in capital letters.
“Because there’s only one way through,” Chen joked.
Gallop said the trickiest part is Parton’s hair. “She has a lot of it, and it comes to little tips,” Gallop said. “You don’t know where the next little opening is going to be. I got lost several times.”
The most memorable part of the experience has been seeing visitors dressing up for the occasion.
“We’ve had people in cowboy boots and cowboy hats and Dolly Parton shirts,” Gallop said. “It’s been really great to see all the love pouring out for her.”
