WILMINGTON — From steam engines to straw baling, corn cob tosses to bee suits, canine demos to cross-cut sawing to peach cobbler and burgers … To say the Clinton County Corn Festival has something for everyone’s entertainment and appetites is an understatement.
The 4oth annual festival, presented by the Antique Power Club Inc., gets underway Friday, Sept. 8 and continues Saturday and Sunday at the Clinton County Fairgrounds.
When Larry Mayer — one of many area residents who work to put on the festival each year — was asked to provide advice to first-time attendees, he said simply, “You can’t experience it all in one day — you need the whole weekend.
“With flea markets, crafts, antiques, the tractor swap meet area, and then the food and the packed schedule of events … there’s such a variety of things always going on.”
The festival has added a few new wrinkles for 2017, Mayer said, including one event that can’t help but pique your interest.
“We’ve brought back the tractor square dance,” he said, “We haven’t done it in 12 to 15 years.”
He said that several events will again prove to be big attractions, including the car show and cruise-in, Saturday’s parade downtown, and, “The Corn Olympics is always a big draw.”
Jonathan McKay is in his third year as emcee of Saturday’s Corn Olympics, one of the festival’s annual highlights — which also provides plenty of “lowlights” and laughs.
Last year McKay made the News Journal’s front page when he went flying out of a wheelbarrow.
“There’s no hazard pay, but I’ll do it anyway,” he laughed.
“I really enjoy it,” he said of the Corn Olympics, with this year’s theme of super heroes. “I love the good time it brings to the county and how pleased the crowd is once we get going.”
In a more serious vein, he spoke of the mix of community, camaraderie and history the entire Corn Festival fosters each year.
“It pays homage to our farm and agriculture heritage,” he said. “It’s great how all the local service organizations come together to raise money for themselves while providing a great time for all.”
Prior to the festival’s opening at noon on Friday, the opening ceremony will take place at the flagpole featuring the Wilmington High School Band. On Friday from 7:15-8:30 p.m. Gas Pump Jockeys will perform.
Activities for the Corn Festival range from the working sawmill with steam engine to the belt-up contest, wheat threshing, the tractor hand-crank contest, bingo, rock crushing, bale throwing, egg toss and skillet toss, and an antique tractor pull.
On Saturday the 10 a.m. downtown parade gets the festival going, followed by another wide variety of family fun activities and demonstrations at the festival at the fairgrounds.
Saturday musical entertainment features: Carol & Johnnie Duo 1:30-3:30 p.m.; David Wayne 4:15-5 p.m. and again 6:45-7:30 p.m.; Lauren Kelly 5:30-6:30 p.m.; and, at separate venues from 8-10 p.m., the Bluegrass Ramblers as well as the George Brothers.
Sunday’s entertainment includes Professor Paris Magic Show 12:15-12:45 p.m.; Riverest Trio & Friends 1-2:30 p.m.; and the Wilmingtones 2:45-3:15 p.m.
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