Some folks salute sweet corn season with a pot of boiling water and a bag of fresh-picked ears. But if corn means more to you than that, there are bigger ways to show your devotion-like attending the 1998 Sweet Corn Festival, Aug. 7 to 9 in Mendota. There’s a Sweet Corn Festival Pet Show, a Sweet Corn Festival Queen Pageant, and a Sweet Corn Festival Talent Show. All well and good, but the big draw is the sweet corn giveaway at 2 p.m. Aug. 9. (But bring your own butter; they’re dousing theirs with margarine.) For more information, call 815-539-6507 or check out the calendar of events at www.sweetcornfestival.com
Closer to home, a Ragin’ Cajun Corn Festival will take place Monday through Aug. 2 at Heaven on Seven on Rush, 600 N. Michigan Ave. Unlike the Mendota fest, this one is strictly food-no pets, beauty queens or baton twirlers. Chef Jimmy Bannos’ special menu will include shrimp-stuffed poblano pepper with roasted sweet corn sauce. For reservations, call 312-280-7774.
OK, so you hate sweet corn but you’re in a festive mood. A 650-pound blueberry bagel will be casting a giant shadow in the central Illinois burg of Mattoon for the 1998 Bagelfest, sponsored by-go figure-Lender’s Bagels. The bagel gets weighed Friday night, but it won’t get eaten till Saturday. This one is set to break the record of 563 pounds, set in 1996. Must be the blueberries.
Told of the mighty bagel, one colleague remained unimpressed: “I think bagels are too big now.” For more information, call 217-235-5661.
