Final preparations are well underway for the 59th annual Eden Corn Festival. This year’s theme is “Down on the Farm” and should add some additional fun to the festival and parade.
The festival will kick off at 3pm on Thursday, August 3 with the Hometown Pet Show starting at 5pm. This has always been a favorite of many local residents and gets bigger every year. At 7:30pm, there will be an Open Mic Night with Mike Hund, which should bring some interesting talent to the stage.
A new item being featured this year will be “Eden Corn Festival Cream Ale,” brewed special for the Eden Corn Festival by Hamburg Brewing Company. The beer, a 4.9% cream ale brewed with corn, will be available in the Legion Beer Barn and Beer Tent while supplies last.
Back for the second year will be the BBQ Competition Cook Off. This event will start at 3pm on Saturday, and judging will take place on Sunday afternoon at 2:30 at main stage. This event should help prove who the best BBQ cooks are in the area.
Other favorites that will be back are: corn husking competition, garden tractor pull, cruise night, chainsaw sculpting demonstrations, baseball playoffs, kangaroo demonstrations, and amusement rides, as well as nightly music entertainment on the Tops entertainment stage and in the Legion beer barn.
On Sunday, the “Down on the Farm”-themed parade will kick off at noon. This is a 1.5 mile parade with about 70 floats, marching units, and bands.
The Eden Corn Festival Board of Directors feel that they can once again make this year’s event free to the general public, due to the overwhelming support we get from our sponsors. Charges will still apply at area parking lots which support local not-for-profit organizations. The festival is an annual event that supports over 15 local organizations including the Eden Fire Department, that is responsible for serving up all the delicious, fresh cooked sweet corn.
The festival is located on Route 62 in the Town of Eden on the American Legion Post #880 grounds. The festival is 6 miles south of Hamburg and 5 minutes off Exit 57a of the New York State Thruway.
A complete schedule of events is available on the website at www.edencornfest.com.
