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An Indiana farm’s corn maze tribute to the late Charlie Kirk drew intense community backlash, prompting the farm to issue a statement defending its decision.
Goebel Farms in Evansville told KWTX that it chose to honor the slain Turning Point USA founder because of his commitment to free speech.
Kirk was fatally shot during a TPUSA event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.
Charlie Kirk throws hats to the crowd after arriving at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10, 2025. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
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After announcing the maze’s theme this year, Goebel Farms received dozens of negative Google reviews on its business page, according to WEHT. The farm appears to have since removed its Google listing, after previously marking the business “permanently closed,” according to a Evansville Reddit thread celebrating the backlash.
In a statement reported by 14News, the farm acknowledged that not everyone agreed with Kirk’s politics or methods, stating its intention was to promote civil discourse rather than deepen division.
Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his “American Comeback Tour” when he was shot in the neck and killed in September 2025. (John Locher/AP Photo)
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“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.”
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“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,” the statement continued.
A portrait of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is seen at a memorial display following his assassination. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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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: 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, against him.
Fox News Digital has reached out to TPUSA for comment.