Photos: Peyton Manning's tribute corn maze is amazing -- but John Elway got one first | The Latest Word | Denver | Denver Westword | The Leading Independent News Source in Denver, Colorado
Navigation

Photos: Peyton Manning's tribute corn maze is amazing -- but John Elway got one first

Yes, Peyton Manning has been immortalized in corn, thanks to the LaSalle-based Fritzler family, whose elaborate corn mazes have been a Colorado tradition for a dozen years. The Peyton maze opens to visitors tomorrow (click here for more details) -- but longtime Fritzler fans know he wasn't the first Bronco...
Share this:
Yes, Peyton Manning has been immortalized in corn, thanks to the LaSalle-based Fritzler family, whose elaborate corn mazes have been a Colorado tradition for a dozen years. The Peyton maze opens to visitors tomorrow (click here for more details) -- but longtime Fritzler fans know he wasn't the first Bronco to have an a-maze-ing transformation. See details below.

A page on the Frizler's website traces the history of the mazes, complete with images of each year's masterpiece. Here are those shots, complete with descriptions from the timeline.

Appropriately enough, the Fritzler's inaugural maze, in 2000, saluted the Broncos....

...while the 2001 version did likewise, sort of. The 2002 maze, created post-9/11, struck a patriotic theme. Then, in 2003, the family got personal, lauding John Elway several years after he retired, and one year before he was officially inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The 2004 maze is among the most ambitious the Fritzlers have attempted -- a recreation of the World War II flag-raising on Iwo Jima. Different kinds of heroes were spotlighted by the 2005 maze: Elvis Presley and Ray Charles. Continue to see the most recent mazes, plus a video of the Peyton Manning version. In 2006, the Fritzlers were in the money -- via a field-sized version of a Colorado state quarter. Back to music in 2007, via a likeness of country singer Chris LeDoux. For 2008, Glen Fritzler tipped his hat, corn-wise, to his parents. In 2009, the Fritzlers were off to see the Wizard. In 2010, America again got her due.... ...and last year struck a similar theme. Still, the Peyton maze may be getting more attention than any of its predecessors. Here's a look at it from the air, courtesy of Fox31.

More from our Photos archive: "Photo: First Colorado snow of the season."

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Westword has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.