DeKALB — In most places, corn is just a side dish. In DeKalb, it’s the star of a three-day festival that draws thousands of people to the heart of the city every August.
Held Friday through Sunday, residents from across the Midwest filled closed-off streets in downtown DeKalb to celebrate Corn Fest — an annual festival hosted by the city.
Rooted in DeKalb County’s farming heritage, Corn Fest has paid tribute to the area’s corn-growing roots since 1977. This weekend, the volunteer-led celebration marked its 48th consecutive year.
On Saturday, Corn Fest honored its beginnings with its 17th annual Chuck Siebrasse Corn Boil. The sweet corn from the boil is free and given out on a first come, first served basis.
Throughout the weekend, Corn Fest is estimated to serve over 70 tons of corn to a total of roughly 25,000 people.
While the event featured plenty of corn, the fair-style festival boasted a wide variety of food options provided from local vendors. Alongside corn, vendors offered ice cream, hot dogs, funnel cakes, lemonade and much more.
“I just like meeting new people,” said Jackie Minneci, co-owner of Feeding Frenzy Concessions, a participating vendor at Corn Fest. “We (Feeding Frenzy) just like making people happy and selling them ice cream — that’s about it.”
The festival also included carnival rides, with the Ferris wheel and merry-go-round drawing steady crowds. Corn Fest also featured a sound stage, craft stations and a beer garden.
Live performers included rock band 7th Heaven, singer-songwriter Austin Hopkins and Taylorville — an unofficial live tribute to Taylor Swift.
Scheduled in the height of NIU’s move-in week, the event offered new students a chance to experience DeKalb’s culture.
“It (Corn Fest) was a lot bigger than I thought … I didn’t think there’d be rides,” said Zach Zell, a first-year health sciences major. “Oh, I’ll for sure go next year. The food was really good, that was probably the highlight for me.”
Corn Fest will return next August, with dates to be announced. The event is free to enter, but does require additional purchasing for food, rides, drinks, etc.
While a sign up process is not required for attendees, vendors can sign up by application through Corn Fest’s website.
