October typically ushers in a season of candy, costumes, and in some parts of the Lower 48, corn mazes. But with no access to corn, one Dillingham family has spent the last several years collecting wooden pallets for an annual pallet maze instead.
The maze has grown into what they are eager to prove is the largest pallet maze in the world.
The cars start pulling up to the Hulett’s house at noon on a chilly October Saturday. Kids jump out, racing to the elaborate arched entrance of the pallet maze that stretches across the yard. In all, roughly 250 people will weave their way through Phil and Emily Hulett’s pallet maze today.
The Huletts have lived in Dillingham for nearly a decade, but they say their house has become known as the pallet house only recently.
It all started 5 years ago as a way to bring the community together.
“The first year it was Covid and everyone was stuck in their houses and didn't have anything to do, social distancing,” said Phil. “I was like ‘this kind of sucks,’ you know ‘we've got to find something.’”
So, Emily Hulett says they put their heads together.
“I just remember Phil and I sitting together and we were just trying to think of something and we are from the Midwest and in Illinois you do corn mazes and we had so much fun doing corn mazes growing up so we were thinking about a maze,” said Emily.
This posed an obvious problem.
“I'm like ‘Well that's an awesome idea, but I can't grow corn that quick, and I don't even know if it will grow here in Alaska,’” said Phil.
It was Emily who put the pieces together.
“We have pallets, there's pallets everywhere in Dillingham. So we started that,” said Emily.
They collected the pallets from around town, and the local grocery store, Bigfoot, agreed to donate its extras.
“I was like ‘Hey, you got some extra pallets sitting around?’ They actually brought them over and delivered them to me. I was just hauling them around in my car or I had a little cart that I would pull behind the four-wheeler,” said Phil.
That first year, they built a maze with roughly 100 pallets. But since it was COVID, they implemented a sign-up sheet to ensure social distancing.
Since then, the maze has steadily grown. Last year, it reached its largest size ever, more than 500 pallets.
It's slightly smaller this year – just shy of 500 pallets- thanks to a new septic system that occupies part of their lawn. But they added triangular archways over sections of the maze, and made the design more challenging to complete.
Phil says constructing the maze each October requires about four days of hard work for him, Emily, and their four kids.
“They all weigh about 60 pounds a piece. So it takes a lot. We all jump in and drag them around the yard and screw them together,” said Phil. “I usually put about 20 pounds of screws out there. It's a lot of work but it's a lot of fun too.”
Unlike some of the larger corn mazes in the Lower 48, which are often mapped through GPS and computer-generated designs, the Hulett maze relies solely on Phil’s creativity.
And he’s got plans for the future, too. Next year, after leveling the dirt pile from the new septic system, Phil plans to add more pallets.
He’s aiming for a Guinness World Record for either the largest pallet maze or the most pallets contained in a maze.
“Currently there is no record but I think, you know, last year we had 513 pallets. I think next year I'm going to shoot for at least 600. I think that's a good start,” said Phil.
The event is more than just finding your way through the maze though. When you come out the other side, a hot dog and hot chocolate station is waiting for you, and a table filled with goody bags and toys.
People gather around a fire-pit near the exit and chat. Folks idle, some staying for hours. Emily points to the families eating hot-dogs around the fire-pit.
“I think whatever you can do to be a part of the community is what you should do. However that happens. Like pallets, pallets bring a community together, you know what I mean. Whatever it is is awesome,” said Emily.
This year, Phil’s design included a secret message written in the maze. From above, written in red pallets, is the phrase “I ‘Heart’ DLG”, with the heart ideogram carefully placed in the center.
The maze will remain up for the first couple of weeks in November, before the Huletts disassemble and stack the pallets along the road, ready for next year.
