Oneida?s first ever Sweet Corn Festival featured 3,000 ears of corn Saturday and Sunday and drew more than 250 people.
?We wanted to honor American agriculture and the American farmer,? said Mike Kalb, President of Sweet Corn Festival. ?That?s what we?re about in this area.?
Kalb said the town has lost some organizations that really got the community together. ?We hope it (Sweet Corn Festival) will bring more people in from the outside to either open a business or buy a home here. Every year that we do something like this, it energizes the community.?
In addition to the corn, several other attractions were held across the small town over the course of the weekend. A parade, garden tractor pull, two bands, races and a corn eating contest were just a few of the aspects of Sweet Corn Festival. Between 250 and 300 took part in the festival.
?This has been a really good turnout. We?re a small community with a lot of farmers, so this is a big part of our economy,? said Rhonda Clarke, whose daughter, Dana, won the children?s Block Race Run. ?It brings us all a little closer together. You get to meet new people you might not have known before.?
With this year?s unusual weather patterns significantly damaging area crops, Sweet Corn Festival almost didn?t happen. After the originally-intended supplier was unable to meet the large demand of sweet corn for the festival, a member of the Galva FFA club offered his sweet corn, effectively saving the festival.
The festival was capped off with a community picnic and corn roast. In an unusual twist to traditional corn on the cob, flavored toppings ranging from white chocolate to lemon zest and raspberry were offered much to the delight of those in attendance.
?Small towns play a huge role in agriculture,? said Caitlin Robb, of New Windsor. ?Too many people don?t understand that sweet corn and all other agriculture comes from small communities like this. In the big city, they don?t realize what they?re eating came from a small town.?
Robb, who became Miss Heartland 2013 this year, spoke about her agriculture awareness platform she has undertaken since winning the title. As Miss Heartland, Robb travels to many large cities, educating the youth on agriculture and citizenship. ?It?s not just sweet corn. It is food. It brings people together, and it is income. It is a huge part of our state. I focus on the youth because we need to create a generation that understands without agriculture, there is no tomorrow.?
Source: http://www.galesburg.com/news/x1676638397/Oneida-celebrates-corn-community?rssfeed=true
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