Sweet Corn Festival draws crowd Corn-eating champ three-peats By Drew Setterholm Daily Press Staff Writer Travelers from across the country joined local enthusiasts at the 22nd annual Olathe Sweet Corn Festival on Saturday. Attendees were treated to all the roasted sweet corn they could eat with the price of admission, plus the musical talents of several local artists and plenty of fun and games. In the annual corn eating contest, Grand Junction resident Becca Stout earned her third straight win in front of a group of family and friends. Stout’s entourage sported hot pink “Team cob gobbler” shirts to support their champion. The three-time winner didn’t disappoint as she put away 11 ears of corn in the four-minute time allotment. “It’s all in the wrists,” Stout said after demolishing her corn — and the competition. This year marked Stout’s third win in four years and four attempts at the competition. She said she’ll keep competing until she loses. Until that happens, she’s having fun with the Olathe tradition. “I still get nervous, every year. It’s a lot of pressure,” she said. One competitor gave Stout a run for her money — she, too, claimed to have finished 11 ears. A closer inspection by festival committee member Jeff Bachman was required. “It was really close. We actually had to investigate the corn to see who would win,” Bachman said. Brothers Aaron and Ethan Minnick, both of Grand Junction, tried to keep up with Stout, but found the contest and the competition tougher than expected. “It felt like my jaw was on fire after about three ears,” Ethan Minnick said. “It was pretty crazy.” Travelers made long treks to be part of Saturday’s festivities. Charles and Karol Zgut drove over from Denver to be with their daughter Nancy Harris and granddaughter Hillary Harris. The Zguts, who have been attending since around 2004, reported they were happy to be back and enjoying the corn, as always. They were also happy to see some local music, and like others, were not disappointed the festival organizers decided not to bring in a big-name musician. “They’re revamping, they’re starting over from scratch. The prices were getting high a while back,” Karol Zgut said. Vern and Sara Eshkibock were up from San Tan Valley, Ariz., seeing friends and family in the area. The Eshkibocks snowbird in Wyoming during the summers, but they never miss an opportunity to get in on the Olathe sweet corn celebration. “We dream of this sweet corn. We actually have dreams of it,” Vern Eshkibock said. Other travelers came from far and wide, according to festival committee member Joni Dyck. “I’ve gotten calls from New York clear to Hawaii,” Dyck said. While the audience came from all over, the festival’s focus was on the locals and the people who make Olathe a special place to live. The festival’s theme was “Homegrown heroes,” and during the morning parade and the afternoon activities, heroes from military service members and law enforcement to family members and farmers were recognized. Tonight, Sunday evening at 6 p.m., the festival will close with a street fiesta in downtown Olathe. The Latino-focused event will continue the festival’s theme. “It’s kind of the idea of us recognizing the hometown, homegrown heroes,” Bachman explained. “We’re recognizing those who work out in the fields.” Turnout at the festival was close to what the planning committee had anticipated, more than last year’s event but not as large as the peak attendance reached several years ago. Committee members are already looking ahead to next year. With a laugh of exhaustion and enjoyment, Dyck commented, “We’ve already decided the committee needs to be bigger.”
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 05:00:45 +0000
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