Eden Corn Festival facts for kids
The Eden Corn Festival is a fun annual fair held in the town of Eden. Eden is in Erie County, New York. It has really good soil, which helps farmers grow over 300 acres (121 ha) of corn every year! They even grow more early corn than anyone else in upstate New York.
How the Festival Started
In 1959, the Eden Chamber of Commerce thought about starting a yearly festival to show off their town. They tried a "Garden Festival" that year, but it didn't become a regular event.
Then, in 1962, Eden had a big 150th birthday party (called a Sesquicentennial). After this celebration, a man named John Munich suggested a yearly corn festival. He thought it could help the town make money and get more visitors.
The Chamber President liked the idea, and in May 1963, the Eden Corn Festival was born! The first festival was set for August 15 and 16. This was the best time because Eden's sweet corn would be ready and super tasty.
Many groups helped plan the festival. They decided to hold it at the American Legion grounds. The American Legion and the Eden School District also helped by letting people use their parking lots and sports fields.
The first corn festival was a big success! It had a carnival, a corn judging contest, and an auction. There was also a corn queen beauty contest, a pet show, and a tug-of-war. A fun parade marched through town.
Corn was sold for only 10 cents an ear! Farmers had to pick corn in the dark to keep up with the demand for 6,000 ears. Other fun activities included swimming events, lacrosse and baseball games, square dancing, and a concert. Everyone decided the Eden Corn Festival should happen every year, and it has been held annually since 1964.
How the Festival Grew
At first, the festival was mostly for local people. Local businesses ran the food stands, and a company from Derby provided the rides.
In 1966, they decided to make the festival bigger. They planned a larger parade with more prizes. That year, 2,500 people attended. Over time, the parade grew to include marching groups from all over the United States and Canada.
In 1974, Bill Edwards became the main organizer (the Chairman) of the festival. Under his leadership, it grew into a four-day event.
On August 2, 1978, something amazing happened! A Guinness World Record was set at the festival. Luis Pirada of Eden ate 18 ears of corn in just five minutes! That year, 75,000 people came to the festival.
By 1980, the festival had become so big that the Chamber of Commerce couldn't manage it alone. A new group called Eden Corn Festival, Inc. was formed to run it. This group included members from different organizations in town.
The festival grounds also got bigger over the years. By 1988, the Eden Volunteer Fire Department was selling 45,000 ears of corn! They still help out by running the corn and french fry booths.
By 1993, the parade had become very large and expensive. It almost got canceled! The cost of the parade a year before was $96,000, but they reduced the budget to $2,000–$3,000. They decided to feature groups mainly from Eden and Western New York instead of big championship bands from all over the Northeast.
During this time, new attractions were added, like a craft show, a car show, and a talent show, along with more rides. The 30th annual corn festival in 1993 had 105,000 people attend. Since then, it has averaged 200,000 people or more each year!
Today, the Eden Corn Festival is held from Thursday to Sunday during the first weekend in August. It's still the biggest event of the year for the small town of Eden.
