DeKalb | The DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport, 3232 Pleasant St., is a good venue for the annual summer music festival Corn Fest in terms of safety and space for its many attractions.

“Since [Corn Fest has] been at the airport, both crimes and incidents have gone down,” said Lisa Angel, publicity director for Corn Fest. Angel said that this will be the fourth year that Corn Fest will be at the airport, and both she and Tom Cleveland, airport manager and assistant director of the DeKalb Department of Public Works, agreed it has been a good venue for the festival.

“In terms of security, it’s great,” said Cleveland. “The police love it, the Fire Department loves it, it has easy access to handle many problems,” Cleveland said at a meeting of the Airport Advisory Board on July 19.

Angel said the airport allows for up to three times more space than the festival would have had elsewhere.

“Having it at the airport, we can incorporate much more. It allows more space to have the car show, more stuff for kids and airplane rides,” Angel said.

Details of this year’s Corn Fest were discussed at the meeting.

Corn Fest will take place Aug. 26 through 28. Corn Fest hails itself as one of the last remaining free summer music festivals in Illinois, and looks to remain so this year.

Parking is free on Friday for all atendees and all weekend for volunteers. On Saturday and Sunday, the city charges a $5 parking pass fee, but the pass can be used for both days. For those who don’t want to pay to drive, the Corn Fest committee offers a free shuttle that stops in downtown DeKalb, the Holmes Student Center and Pleasant Street every 20 to 25 minutes to pick up passengers, Angel said.

Cleveland also went over the lineup of bands this year, and the band 38 Special will headline the festival on Saturday, Aug. 27.

“They’re a classic rock band that’s been around for 30 years with devoted fans, so it should be a good turnout,” Angel said.

Like years past, attendees will be able to ride in a World War II B-25 bomber.

The B-25 Bomber is operated by the Minnesota wing of the Commemorative Air Force and will take people up for one hour plane rides throughout the festival weekend.

“We feel it’s important to showcase the B-25 so other generations can appreciate what people went through during WWII,” said Bill Maitland, the flight coordinator. “We keep these planes around and offer rides so that we can honor the veterans and people who have flown them and preserve the memory of those who lost their lives [in the war],” Maitland said. The rides will cost $395.00 and can be paid with cash or credit.