What do you get when you cross 400 yards of auto-upholstery fabric, 2,300 feet of PVC pipe, 4 gallons of paint, 690 feet of rebar and 11 South Mountain Community College Mythology students? Give up? Okay, here's another one. What is over 3,000 years old, has a bad-tempered beast in the middle, and requires that you walk the length of two and a half football fields to get to the center? Stumped? If you were at South Mountain Community College on April 20, 1995, you would know the answer to these riddles, and more! The students of Liz Warren's mythology classes held their first annual Labyrinth Day; the fabric, PVC, paint, and rebar were all construction elements of a working labyrinth built by the students. A full day of activities was planned around the labyrinth itself, including nationally known storyteller, Dennis Freeman, a Rune Mistress, an African Oracle, drum and movement activities, face-painting, maze puzzles, and a human maze game. Taking advantage of the day's offerings were over 500 children from five community elementary schools as well as students, faculty and staff from our own campus.

Layout of the labyrinth was accomplished using "primitive" tools such as stakes, string, measuring tape, and a square. The only "modern" tool used during the layout process was a Michael Bolton CD, used in desperation to square the corners when the proper implement was missing. Once the general layout was accomplished, rebar was pounded into the ground in strategic locations. PVC pipe was then placed over and between the rebar to provide a strong but flexible framework. A lightweight charcoal gray upholstery fabric was used to create the walls of the labyrinth. Sleeves for the horizontal PVC supports were meticulously sewn into the top edge of the fabric by our officialwas used to create the walls of the labyrinth. Sleeves for the horizontal PVC supports were meticulously sewn into the top edge of the fabric by our official labyrinth seamstresses, (400 yards worth!), then painted with colorful flowers, vines and spirals. Sewing and painting complete, the fabric was then hung on the frame and the vertical edges sewn together to create one continuous piece.

Construction was completed on the evening of the 19th, under some duress. Rain, which was strictly forbidden by instructor Liz Warren, made an appearance to complicate the process. By the time the last stitch was set and the last stake pounded into the ground, there was only a small group of intrepid builders left. Looking, (and feeling), like a bunch of drowned rats, they promptly took themselves off to a congratulatory dinner of Mexican food at a local restaurant.

Fully satiated on nachos, tacos, and chimichangas, the six exhausted builders returned to the campus to find several local children who had appeared just as they were leaving for dinner, still playing inside the labyrinth. By this time, it was fully dark, with only meager lights from the campus to dispel the gloom. The builders decided that even though they were tired and wet, they needed to take a test run through their construction. It turned out to be the purest experience they had within the labyrinth. Because the light did not fully penetrate the interior of the maze, there were dark, shadowy passages and terrifying blind corners to traverse. The children gave them wonderful scares as they imitated minotaurs, stalking them throughout the labyrinth, reaching under the walls and grabbing ankles and popping out of black shadows. The screams and giggles of the children gave them an inkling of what was to come. The builders were overwhelmed. Exclamations such as, "I can't believe it's really up!", "It's incredible!", "Beautiful!", and "I love it!" were testament to the builders' joy. The gift of the children's laughter spread through them with the warmth of accomplishment. They knew that no matter the outcome of Labyrinth Day on the morrow, that their creation was a success.

The day was here. Builders began arriving on campus at 7:00 a.m. Would the labyrinth still be standing? Would the weather hold? What would the day bring? The gods were kind and the day was blessed with warm April sunshine and mild breezes. The first of 500 children arrived on campus early, much to the builders' dismay. South Mountain Community College president, Dr. John Cordova, officially welcomed faculty, staff, and students to Labyrinth Day. Mythology instructor and Chief Headwoman Liz Warren thanked all those who had contributed time and funds to make the event a reality. After bolstering themselves with sugary donuts, the builders and other Labyrinth Day volunteers turned and confronted the swelling hordes of children who were sweeping down upon them like wild Huns. Liz Warren surveyed the area with the look of a woman who had just swallowed a hornet. Gathering her courage around her like armor, she rallied her builders to her banner and leapt into the fray.

In full costume, the African Oracle and the Rune Mistress foretold futures, emphasizing the importance of education and staying in school. Face painters wielded their brushes with a vengeance; the results of their efforts were apparent in the brightly adorned faces of the kids. Other activities occurring at the same time were maze building with toothpicks, symbol matching games, campus journeys, pogs, drum and movement activities, and the human maze game. Storytelling was an integral part of Labyrinth Day. Mythology students involved in this activity began visiting the classrooms of local elementary schools as "storytelling mentors", to engage the students in storytelling. With guidance from their college mentors, who had training from professional storyteller Dennis Freeman, the younger students constructed complex and compelling tales, stories, and fables. Their experience culminated on Labyrinth Day, when they all gathered to tell and listen to each other's stories. Dennis was on hand to provide some further guidance and delighted the children with a few of his own tall tales. The students and their cooperating elementary teachers had positive reactions to this project. One Mythology student reported that "you could see the kids self-confidence growing by leaps and bounds. This was something they already knew how to do. They just didn't know they knew!"

All of the activities were well received by our campus visitors, but the labyrinth itself was the crown jewel. Crowds of children stood in line to enter the labyrinth and challenge the minotaur. Little did they know, the men playing the minotaur were identical twins. One twin would come out to take a break, and the kids thought they were safe, until they ran into the other twin minotaur inside! There were so many children that the builders had to station themselves at the entrance and various points inside the walls to regulate traffic flow, and to keep the over excited children from tearing the whole thing down. Some children went through up to ten times, and the average child went through three times. At 500 children, that's 1,500 pairs of feet trampling a path through the grass that was to last for several weeks after the event.

The day was long and tiring for the builders, but they could all say it was a smashing success. After surviving rain and wind, and hundreds of people charging through it, the labyrinth was still standing as the sun went down. That evening, to complete the day, Dennis Freeman regaled the builders and many others with labyrinthine stories. After the stories came to a close, the builders took one last journey through their labyrinth. There were only a few others with labyrinthine stories. After the stories came to a close, the builders took one last journey through their labyrinth. There were only a few left, it being late at night, and they again experienced the mystical qualities darkness brings with it to the inner sanctum of the labyrinth. It was a precious moment for the builders; they knew they had captured the spirit of something ancient and timeless, something that reaches beyond culture and language. They, like many before them, had been architects of dreams.

Deanna Matuso is currently a student at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. She participated in the building of The Fabric Labyrinth at SMC in the spring of 1995 and wrote this article in Life Stories (ENG-217).