“A festival? In corn fields? Sign me up!” I exclaimed. Being a born and raised city girl, I have a slight fascination with all things that smack of quaint Americana. I imagined pie eating contests, locals peddling their artful crafts and mountains of corn ears. So, on Friday, I teamed up with friends and headed to my first ever DeKalb Corn Fest. Here are some highlights of the night’s merrymaking:

“Hold On” Tight Modern fun with a hint of nostalgia: Vendor booths and classic carnival rides were combined with ATMs, cooling booths, and cover band Shy Violet’s awesome versions of ‘90s pop songs. Any gathering where I can hear someone belt out Wilson Phillips’ “Hold On” is an automatic winner in my book.

Good-time attitude Everywhere I looked, people were determined to have a good time. From the singing operator of the “Himalaya” to the brave souls facing the bungee swing’s forceful push into the night air, Corn Fest attendees let their hair down and embraced the good-time attitude.

Fields of corn The food. I’ve had my fair share of experience with fair food, but Corn Fest delivered in a way I did not expect. The amount of corn-related dishes was simply astounding. Corn ice cream, roasted corn, hot dogs covered in corn and deep fried…the possibilities seemed endless!

At 9 p.m., Dot Dot Dot hit the stage. Its hyper-cool 2-hour set consisted of 2-minute pieces of fun. Flashing lights, dancing fans and Little Lisa’s rousing rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” was the perfect way to wrap up my introduction to a time-honored NIU tradition.