Corn on the Corner was fun for all

August 06, 2007 11:36 am

— Corn on the Corner lived up to its name. It was “corny.” It’s what small-town, Midwest America is all about. Neighbors meeting neighbors at a communitywide block party.
The annual event, held Saturday, didn’t feature a carnival, or fireworks or a big name musical group. Instead, it presented a family friendly atmosphere hosted for the community by the community and gave everyone the chance to get together on a Saturday, chat with friends, enjoy the out-of-doors or just sit and listen to the entertainment.
And everything was “home-grown,” including the bands, the food vendors and the 3,000 ears of corn grown especially for the event.
It was a great time for the kids with face painting, a corn box treasure hunt and all kinds of contests.
For the adults there was Autos on the Avenue, a corn cook-off contest, the simple pleasure of being with family and friends and something different to do on a Saturday.
A corn eating contest between Chris Streets, general manager of KCLN, and Dave Benson, co-chairman of events committee for the Chamber of Commerce, drew quite a crowd. Chris won by eating 27 ears of corn to Dave’s 25 ears. They had 12 minutes to try and consume 36 ears. The crowd was taking bets — not on who would eat the most — but which one would get sick first.
But the best part of the event was it was free. Anyone could go and not spend a dime unless they wanted to spend a buck for an ear of Iowa gold dipped in butter and lunch or dinner to go with it. It was easily accessible for young and old alike — no matter the economic status.
It’s grassroots events like this that make life worth living in a small Midwest town.
Hats off — or should we say “husks off” — to all the sponsors and volunteers who put together a very enjoyable day for the entire community.