Sweet Corn Celebrations in Ohio
The sweet corn celebration is one of the oldest and largest harvest festivals in the Midwest, and this year is no exception. For the 75th year, you can attend the Sweet Corn Festival at Mendota. Fairborn is also available if you are lucky enough to be able to attend the celebration. You’re sure to have a blast no matter where sweet corn is celebrated. In Ohio, some communities celebrate this favorite corn by hosting a sweet corn festival in their towns.
Fairborn
Fairborn is the perfect place for a family event. In August, this city holds its annual Sweet Corn Festival at Community Park. There will be 180 booths selling handcrafted crafts, arts and craft, food vendors, and a children’s area. Sweet corn pies, steamed corn pies, oil paintings, jewelry, and jewelry by local artists are all available. You can also buy fair corn-themed art.
The Fairborn Arts Center hosts the fairgrounds, which are free to enter. Food vendors will sell homemade items and produce. You can also sample steamed corn, BBQ chicken, pork chop sandwiches, and freshly cut watermelon. In addition to sweet corn, you can find other handcrafted items at the festival, including jewelry, watercolors, and oil paintings. The event is open to the public and offers free parking.
Hoopeston
The National Sweetcorn Festival is a Labor Day weekend tradition in the town of Hoopeston, New Jersey. The Hoopeston Junior Chamber of Commerce hosts this annual event that features carnival rides, games and stands of fried goodness. The grand parade features marching bands and pageant girls. Hot buttered corn is a highlight of the festival that attracts more than 20,000 people.
While many are excited to attend, there is bad news for those who want to attend the National Sweetcorn Festival this year. The festival has been postponed until September 2021 due to concerns about insurance coverage. Organizers said the postponement was necessary to ensure the health of attendees and vendors, but it also prevented them from selling ad-free sweet corn. The festival will now be held from Sept. 2-6 2021.
Mendota
This weekend marks the 74th annual Sweet Corn Festival, Mendota (Ill.). This community of about 7,300 people is only two hours from Chicago. You can enjoy carnival rides, food, crafts vendors, a flea marketplace, and live entertainment. There’s also a queen pageant and a parade. Mendota is worth a visit if it’s not already!
The 74th Annual Sweet Corn Festival is one of the longest-running annual gatherings in Starved Rock Country. It started in 1948, and is the largest of its kind in the Midwest. Harry Schaller, a man who brought an old steam engine and used it for cooking corn in large tanks, is the originator of Mendota Harvest Festival. The festival has grown to serve more than 60 tons of corn since then. Wednesday was a difficult day for the town’s residents as well as its businesses.
West Point
Where is West Point’s sweet corn festival? The annual Sweet Corn Festival is the premier summer event in the tri-state region. Held the second week of August, the festivities include FREE sweet corn, stage entertainment, barbecue pork chops and chicken dinners, and fun runs/walks. The carnival’s midway features rides and games that are suitable for all ages. The festival ends with a sweet-corn eating contest. Families and children flood the town enjoying the free, all they can-eat corn.
There are many events and activities for families to enjoy. Pee Wee Drag Races are an activity for children, and is open to children 3 and under. Registration begins at 10:30 am. Winners receive ice cream cone certificates. For teens, the Junior Water Fights feature competitions that begin at 12:30 p.m. If they win, participants earn tickets for carnival rides. For the adults, there are some great food trucks in the area.