SHELBY – Jake and Jessica Rietschlin always enjoyed taking their children to corn mazes.

But as 10-year-old Grace and 13-year-old Nathan grew up, their parents had a new idea. This season they turned their fourth-generation family farm into a fall attraction.

“We’ve gone to different corn mazes the past couple years, and every time we went to one, I always had a vision of doing it,” Jake Rietschlin said.

The J & J Rietschlin Farm, 5482 Ohio 61 South, features a Charlie Brown-shaped corn maze and scavenger-hunt hay-rides, among other harvest-themed attractions.

“The Charlie Brown theme is something I came up with,” Jessica Rietschlin said. “My kids always loved Charlie Brown. We watched it at Halloween and Christmas time.”

With the help of Matt Lutz, of Sunrise Cooperative, the Rietschlins designed a maze in the shape of Charlie Brown, which takes an average of 30 minutes to navigate. Several numbered trivia stations help people find their way.

Admission to the corn maze costs $5 per person, and the hay ride costs $2 per person. Children age 5 and under can participate in both for free.

Other activities, which include a straw maze, slide, pumpkin bowling and corn box, cost $2 per child for an unlimited amount of time. A petting zoo features two miniature horses and two goats.

Everything, Jake Rietschlin explains, has been designed with affordability in mind.

“We wanted something family-friendly and cheap. We’re not going to break the bank,” he said.

Plus, the farm includes a pumpkin patch, something it first offered last year. The Rietschlin family grew 600 pumpkins last fall in a half-acre patch. Seeing its success, they’ve expanded it to six acres in size.

The farm opened in mid-September, and so far, the couple says they’ve been “busy” and “blessed.”

“It puts a smile on our faces,” said Jessica Rietschlin, who also works at Sacred Heart School as a teacher’s aide.

Jake Rietschlin runs the 500-acre farm with his father and brothers.

The farm’s maze and other activities are open from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday through Sunday, Oct. 29. Organized groups may be able to arrange a weekday time by calling 419-566-3955.

The Rietschlins noted that the last two weekends at J & J Rietschlin Farm will feature live music, and they are looking to add a corn cannon and pumpkin launcher to their farm by the end of this season.

The pumpkin patch, however, is open from dawn to dusk seven days a week. People are asked to use the donation box when the family isn’t around.