FAIRBORN — The City of Fairborn declared the week of Monday, Aug. 12 through Sunday, Aug. 18 as Sweet Corn Festival Week throughout the community during a proclamation at the July 15 regular council meeting.
The city has traditionally made the same proclamation year-after-year to celebrate the city’s annual corny celebration. Sweet Corn Festival Chairperson Warren Brown was present during the meeting to accept the proclamation.
“Whereas the Fairborn Sweet Corn Festival is an event that makes Fairborn famous; and whereas this event has many activities for children including face painting, train rides, pony rides and the Big Bounce,” the proclamation reads. “Now, therefore, I, Paul Keller, mayor of the City of Fairborn, do hereby designate and proclaim Monday, Aug. 12 through Sunday, Aug. 18 as Sweet Corn Festival Week in the City of Fairborn and urge all citizens to partake in the many scrumptious delicacies, wonderful activities and entertainment schedule for the weekend of Aug. 17-18, 2019.”
Citizens can husk a move and attend the 38th annual event from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17 and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18 at Community Park, 691 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Road.
The traditional event will include a number of family-friendly activities, including pony rides, the Big Bounce, AVA Volkswalk, free entertainment, approximately 180 food vendors and handmade arts and crafts booths including candles, wooden items, jewelry, watercolor and oil paintings, among other items.
Those who attend can also enjoy the traditional Sweet Corn Festival feast — BBQ chicken, pork chop sandwiches, fresh-cut watermelon and, the star of the show — steamed sweet corn.
The very first Sweet Corn Festival took place in 1982 with just 40 booths in Lion Den Park of Rona Hills, according to the Sweet Corn Festival Committee. It moved the following year to Central Jr. High School and finally made its home in Community Park in 1984, where it remains. The committee said the first year had just “a few thousand” attendees to more than 45,000 today.
Sweet Corn Festival traditions that remain in place are the opening ceremony ribbon cutting by the king and queen — Jamie Hensley and Linda Hall this year — as well as the corn-eating contest, AVA volkswalk, fresh-cut watermelon and steamed sweet corn, among the other elements.
