An Indiana farm’s decision to dedicate its corn maze to the late Charlie Kirk has sparked a sharp local backlash, leading the business to publicly defend the tribute.
Goebel Farms in Evansville told KWTX that it selected Kirk, the slain founder of Turning Point USA, as this year’s corn maze theme because of what it described as his commitment to free speech.
Kirk was fatally shot on Sept. 10, 2025, while appearing at a TPUSA event at Utah Valley University.
The announcement quickly drew criticism online. According to WEHT, Goebel Farms’ business page was hit with dozens of negative Google reviews after the farm revealed the maze design.
The farm later appeared to remove its Google listing, after earlier marking the business as “permanently closed,” according to an Evansville Reddit thread where users celebrated the public backlash.
In a statement reported by 14News, Goebel Farms acknowledged that Kirk’s politics and approach were deeply divisive, but said the goal of the tribute was to encourage civil discourse rather than fuel further polarization.
“Our intention was not to suggest that everyone should share Charlie’s beliefs or agree with every statement he made,” the statement read.
“We recognize that he was a polarizing public figure and that many people strongly disagreed with his views and methods. Charlie was killed while publicly expressing and debating his convictions.
“In a country founded on the principles of free speech, no person should lose his or her life for participating in political discussion. People are free to challenge ideas, criticize them and reject them — but violence must never become the response to speech.
“That is central to the meaning behind our maze. Even when our disagreements are serious, we must continue talking and listening to one another. When conversation stops, division deepens, and it becomes easier to view people as enemies rather than neighbors.”
Goebel Farms defended itself as a family business, “not a political organization,” adding, “Our hope remains simple: that Americans can speak openly, disagree honestly and challenge one another’s ideas without hatred or violence—and that our community can continue treating its members with dignity and respect.”
Tyler Robinson, 23, is accused of assassinating Kirk, the 31-year-old father of two, roughly one year ago.
Robinson will stand trial after a Utah judge ruled Tuesday that prosecutors presented enough evidence to move forward on all seven charges against him: aggravated murder; felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury; two counts of obstruction of justice; two counts of witness tampering; and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child.
Fox News Digital has reached out to TPUSA for comment.
