DECATUR - Every Illinois kid who grew up in the country has heard the refrain: "Stay out of the corn!"

No one has to do that at Bob Brady Auto Mall. North of the sprawling dealership is a field of corn sporting a 43-acre maze designed by Durfee Magnet School fourth-graders that spells out "Farm Progress Show 2005" and includes the logos used by Bob Brady, Interstate 72 and the Decatur School District. The land belongs to Bob Brady and is farmed by David Brix.

The maze will open Aug. 20 with regular hours on weekends and will also be an official Farm Progress Show exhibit. Admission fees, which have not yet been determined, will benefit the Dropout Task Force and the Decatur School District.

Students of all ages competed to see who could come up with the best design. Susan Barnes' class at Durfee was the winner.

"My principal came to me because I'm kind of the artsy person in the building," Barnes said, laughing. Barnes assigned it to her class and the kids worked in small groups. Decatur Area Technical Academy student Ryan Lindsay plotted it with a computer-assisted design program. Shannon Allen and Jenny Worley of the Macon County Soil and Water Conservation District, with help from global positioning system expert Rob Heckert, carefully plotted and cut the maze.

Terry MacCauley, sales manager for the dealership, said Brady has had a corn maze for two years, but in spite of advertising, didn't get a lot of traffic out to use it. This year, with proceeds benefiting the schools and the proximity of the Farm Progress Show, they hope to see a lot more people. Nonprofit groups and church and youth groups who want to use the maze should call MacCauley, 876-3800.

"We plan on doing this for many years in the future," Brady said. "I'm glad we're able to offer an attraction here in Decatur."

Valerie Wells can be reached at vwells@herald-review.com or 421-7982.