September 2, 2025: Maize Core

It’s birthday time because one of the farms in the area is celebrating its time in agro-tourism with four acres of festivities.Mike’s Maze in Sunderland is celebrating its 25th year with its 26th maize labyrinth, so we head there to take in this year’s attraction and hear about it’s history. We’ll learn about the maze’s origins with the eponymous Mike  Wissemann  and artist Will Sillin who designed and cut the first 11 mazes, and the work that went into the Maze’s early years and themes, and hear about the transition to the current team building the attraction: Dave and Jess Marsh Wissemann, as well as the changes and lessons learned along the way that keep people coming back to Sunderland to get the full experience. Then we’ll head to Easthampton where 13 bands over 2 days will take over the stage at City Space for a punk festival like no other. Queercore Fest is hitting its stride in its second year, and we’ll learn from organizers Issley and Ben about this year’s line up, last year’s lessons, and the importance of gathering queer community in queer space for a mutual aid cause.