WEST POINT — As Iowa goes crazy at the end of summer festival, four days of weekend fun and entertainment opened Thursday at the 69th annual Sweet Corn Festival in West Point.
The collection of about 17 tons of sweet corn, trucked in for free by Gunnar Wellman of GW Transport, kicked things off Wednesday afternoon at Merschman Seeds in preparation for distribution daily through Sunday at City Park Square.
The eager volunteers flooded the mountain of corn in an hour and a half.
A quiet, clean and beautiful Lee County farm town of more than 900 residents, West Point has been filled with visitors from all over the tri-state area for the event every August since 1952, with the exception of a one-year hiatus with COVID.
These days, the annual carnival attracts 25,000 visitors with free buttered sweet corn, free entertainment, free live music, a carnival and vendors.
The West Point Community Club uses much of the revenue it receives to help support and beautify the city’s parks.
The theme of this year’s festival is “69 Ears of Being Hot & Buttered”.
In a handy and informal arrangement, people can stand up, eat their corn and simply throw their cobs into the back of a dump truck.
City workers will transport the cobs along with the husks from Wednesday’s Shuckfest to local farmers who asked them to feed their livestock.
Next to the corn counters, people line up at the takeout for grilled chicken that you can’t exactly replicate at home.
West Point City Administrator Randy Welding, who cooks the always-requested Corn Festival Chicken every year with the Saturday morning crew, is among those who have tried to replicate the delicious marinade or splash that includes vinegar.
But just outside the grill at home is not the same.
“You can hardly duplicate it. Part of the secret to making (chicken) so tender is what evaporates in the cooler after cooking,” he said.
With an extremely popular festival, a lot of help is needed.
Like Welding, many community volunteers participate in tasks such as setting up, cooking, serving and cleaning.
“To put this small community on such a big festival, that’s pretty remarkable,” said Derek Vandenberg of West Point, who joins his wife, Courtney, on the 12-member WPSCF Committee that began planning the event of 2022. two months after the last one.
“We are very grateful for the volunteers and sponsors,” he said.
In addition to the corn-on-the-cob and barbecue dinners, the Fest features several food trucks that the carnival brings in on rides, with two added this year, Vandenberg said.
St. Mary’s Altar & Rosary Society, as usual, will be serving pie, food and drink.
At 6pm on Thursday, Mya Lampe was crowned the 2022 Sweet Corn Festival Queen, followed by a performance by the Holy Trinity Catholic School Drill Team.
As of press time Thursday, the 2022 Sweet Corn Festival Princess had not been announced.
Competing for the title were Aubrey Rudd, 4, daughter of Andrea Owen and Cameron Rudd; Daelyn Garcia, 5, and Delila Garcia, 7, daughters of Ashley and Angel Garcia; and Lillian Burden, 6, daughter of Samantha and Josh Burden.
Friday
The festival resumes at 5pm on Friday with carnival rides, arts and crafts stalls, barbecue chicken dinners and performances by Raeanne’s School of Dance and Paulette’s Dance Studio starting at 5.30pm.
Next, Whiskey Friends will take the stage from 7-10 p.m
Saturday
A 5K and 10K run, sponsored by Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center, opens with registration from 6:45 to 7:30 a.m. The run is from 8-9 a.m., with awards at 9:15
A doubles horseshoe tour for ages 16 and older, with cash prizes, begins at 10 a.m. after registration at 9 a.m. on the northeast side of the park.
Arts and Crafts Booths Open 11:00 a.m. BBQ Chicken Dinners will be served, with appetizers or appetizers available, from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., or while supplies last.
The carnival opens at noon.
At 11 a.m., Pee Wee Drag races for ages 3-6 begin. Registration is free. First, second and third place winners receive a trophy and all participants receive ribbons and candy.
Junior Water Fights for ages 7-12 start at 1pm on the front stage free of charge. All winners receive travel tickets to the carnival.
Ages 21 and older are invited to participate in the Corn Hole Tour from 3 to 6:30 pm on the south side of the park. Registration closes at 2:30 p.m. Winners receive cash prizes.
Becky Barefoot will perform from 7 to 10 p.m
Sunday
Sweet corn and chicken dinners start at 11:00
The carnival will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and arts and crafts will open at noon.
The parade will start at noon.
Finally, the Mini Garden Tractor Pull weigh-in is from 1 to 2 p.m., and the tractor pull starts at 2 p.m.
Additional members of the 2022 Corn Festival Committee are Justin and Abby Mehmert, Josh and Kaitlyn Fullenkamp, Collin Eaves and Abby Kesselring, Sam Harmeyer and Kelly Riddle, and Ben Fullenkamp and Cody Brinck.
