Emanuelson is chair of the Dekalb corn fest, going on this weekend in Dekalb. For more information, contact cornfest.com
Corn Fest is one of the last remaining free music festivals in Illinois. How did it start? In the 1950s, it began as a corn giveaway. Until a few years ago, Del Monte had a corn canning factory in DeKalb. As they ended the canning season, they’d give corn out to the employees and to the community. It was a harvest celebration, a back-to-school celebration. It became [what it is today] 28 years ago, an official event with food booths and entertainment. It remains a good way to end the summer, as the last weekend before the [Labor Day] holiday. This year, Joan Jett plays on the final day.
But it’s still a corn giveaway? Yes. On Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., corn that’s still provided by Del Monte is given away.
Free entertainment is hard to come by these days. How do you decide who to bring in? In the past, we’ve had .38 Special, Steppenwolf, Eddie Money. We mostly target the Baby Boomers. Now my kids, if you asked them who they’d like to see, they’d probably pick someone like Limp Bizkit. And while that would please them and a lot of other kids, what we want is something that will please them and their parents. We look for acts that work across the board, who are available and that we can afford.
How much corn do you estimate is consumed during the three days of the festival? Approximately 250,000 people eat about 70 tons of corn that is given away. Then we have vendors, like the Kiwanis, who roast corn and sell it. That’s another 80 tons.
Doesn’t that require gobs of butter? We estimate about 2,000 pounds.
As a pretty trim guy, how much corn can you yourself eat? I can finish about a dozen ears.
Most important, what’s the best way, in such a social setting, to get corn out of your teeth? Carry dental floss with you. Then slip into the bathroom to get it out. Otherwise, you just look silly when you smile.
