Sweet Corn Festival

August 20-23, 2020

Article featuring food
festivals in WI-includes
Corn Fest!

Please note: Corn is served Saturday and Sunday only at the fest.

Sweet Corn Festival Sponsors help bring success to the Festival with their support. Sponsors give financial and trade support for goods and services - this support helps offset costs of the event and thus benefits the non-profit organizations who depend on the festival as a major fund-raiser for their cause. Special thanks to the following Underwriters and Sponsors of the 2019 Sweet Corn Festival: (as of 7/1/19)

Thanks to our Underwriters:

Sweet Corn Festival 2019

2019 Sweet Corn Festival - August 15-18th, Angell Park - Sun Prairie, WIDownload the 2019 brochure here

Want to Volunteer at Corn Fest? click here for the volunteer form

2019 Event Information

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin will host the annual Sweet Corn Festival Thursday, August 15th through Sunday, August 18th, 2019 at Angell Park, near the intersection of Highway 19 and Highway N. updated regularly - check back for more information as details are confirmed; prices/attractions subject to change	For the low cost of $1.00 admission on Saturday and Sunday per person for gate walk-in, attendees can enjoy free entertainment, children's activities and more. Children age 6 and under are free admission, and if you park on the grounds admission is included in the price. Buttons are $1.50 for unlimited entrance to the Festival. Parking is $5.00 per vehicle and includes admission. Over 100,000 people from around the Midwest attend the event which serves over 80 tons of sweet corn during the weekend! Corn is not genetically altered. Steamed sweet corn is available on Saturday and Sunday only from noon to 7 pm. * A tote of corn is $8.00 and single ears are $2.00. * Uncooked corn is available to purchase on Saturday and Sunday for $10.00 per grocery bag.
This event features a carnival-midway complete with rides and games, food booths, live bands, craft show, car show, kiddie korner with large inflatables, family entertainment and much more	* Thursday and Friday night are carnival wristband nights with unlimited rides from 6-10 pm for $25. Thursday night kicks off the event with the parade down Main Street at 6:00 pm. Festival grounds feature the carnival, booths, and beer tent Thursday and Friday nights after 6 pm. All activities are in place on Saturday and Sunday when the park opens at 11:30 am.
Corn Fest Parade:	Thursday, August 15th, 6:00 pm, Main Street
Corn Fest Entertainment:	Beer Shelter: Friday, Aug.16th, 'Your Mom' The Band, 8 pm. to Midnight Saturday, Aug. 17th, Left on Sunset - rock/cover songs variety, 8 pm. to Midnight Family Stage: Saturday, August 17th, 2019 Noon & 2 pm - Silly Science Show 1 pm.- Melodiya - piano music 3 pm.- Kicks Unlimited 4 pm.- Madison Dance Academy 5-7 pm.- SWEET-T and the Thompson Duo Sunday, August 18th, 2019 Noon & 2 pm - Amazing Mr. Magic 1 pm. - Monona Academy of Dance 3 pm. - Prairie Kids Club 4 pm. - Sun Prairie Chorus Kiddie Korner-August 17th and 18th Noon-8 pm.- Kiddie Inflatables 1-4 pm.-Face Painting Noon-7 pm.- Mini golf
Upper Grounds	Beer Shelter: Bean Bag Tournaments: Sat., & Sun., 1:00 pm NEW! Car Show: Friday, about 6pm; Upper grounds by beer shelter Waterballs Rock Climbing Wall Craft Fair - handmade crafts - over 60 vendors: Saturday, 11:30am-7pm; Sunday, 11:30am-5pm
Other Attractions	Bingo: Saturday, noon-8:00 pm; Sunday, noon-4:00 pm; in the Pavillion Helicopter Rides: 4 pm to dusk Friday; 11 am to dusk Saturday; $50 for a five mile ride. Midget Auto Racing: Sunday, 7:00 pm
Advance Button Sales are available at these locations:	Sun Prairie Utilities and Read Before Book Store; always at the Chamber office
*The Sweet Corn Festival benefits the following local organizations:*	American Legion Post 333, Boy Scout Troop 333, Sun Prairie Chamber of Commerce, Exchange Club, Happy Hikers 4-H, Knights of Columbus, Lions Club, Rainbow Park, VFW and the YMCA
	Look for continued updates on the Festival right here! download our brochure

Hotels/Motels: visit our business directory for information - link: click here

Directions to the Fest:
from I94: from Milwaukee: exit Hwy N north, right at the exit; Angell Park/corn fest is on the left hand side of the road approx 6-7 miles from the exit (or, just before the intersection of N&Hwy19) If the Hwy N ramp is not accessible, stay on I94 until 151 North / Sun Prairie exit and follow directions in next paragraph.
from I90: exit 151 North; from 151 exit Main St, follow Main Street through downtown and turn right at Hwy N, follow Hwy N for about 1/2 mile, Angell Park will be on the right.
From the north - 151: exit Main Street from 151 - follow Main Street east to Hwy N, right at Hwy N, Angell Park is on the right about a half mile down Hwy N.
click here for online map link

*prices/schedule subject to change

The Sweet Corn Festival is organized and produced by Sun Prairie Chamber of Commerce. Proceeds from the event help support 9 local non-profits in Sun Prairie.

Join us in 2020: August 20-23

Sweet Corn Memorabilia

2019 Buttons, $1.50- good for entry to Corn Fest all weekend!

New for 2019 Hats! $15.00 Men's Tan or Blue

Ladies Hats too! $15 Khaki, Tan, Gray

2019 T Shirts: $8.00

2019 Youth T's: $6.00

Past Years Corn Fest T Shirts: $4.00

Hot Cold Packs: $3.50

Plush Corn Cob: $4.00

Corn Fest Reusable Bag: $7.00

Corn Charm Bracelet or Necklace: $10.00

Mirror Brush Combo: $1.00

Chip Clip: $1.00

Coasters: $.50

SUN PRAIRIE SIGNATURE WEAR

ADULT T SHIRT $12.00

ADULT SWEATSHIRT $23.00

POSTCARDS $ .50

Cooking the Corn

How is the 80 (plus) tons of corn cooked for the annual Sweet Corn Festival??

It is a precise process with special equipment, used just for the Festival. A building was constructed in 1997 to house the equipment: five retorts and a boiler. Here is some information about this specialized equipment.

What is a retort??
Think of a rice steamer-similar in concept, however, very small scale compared to the retorts used for steaming the scrumptious sweet corn for the festival. Each retort is ten feet deep and three feet across. Four cast iron baskets fit in each retort for cooking and each basket holds 1/4 ton or more of corn - about 200-300 ears of corn. Each retort can cook one ton of corn every seventeen minutes and the temperature to cook the corn is 247 degrees.

The boiler - not your average boiler!
The dimensions of the boiler is 9'2" high by 9'4" wide by 20'10" long and it weighs 43,000 pounds! (Remember, we average 80 ton of corn per year at the Festival!)
It produces 17,250,000 pounds of steam per hour and holds 2,500 gallons of water. This boiler produces 16,736,000 BTU's - enough to heat 125 homes.

The corn cooking facility is the heart of the Sweet Corn Festival - we thank our dedicated volunteers who staff the cooking operations including:
Russ Fassbender
Joe Kott, Alpha Electric
Nick Conrad, Conrad Real Estate
John Muller, Muller Plumbing

History

The first annual Sweet Corn Festival was held on August 29 and 30 in 1953. It is the oldest sweet corn festival in Wisconsin. The 1953 and 1954 festival grounds extended along the two blocks of Angell Street, just north of Main Street. The 1953 festival served 13,000 ears of corn and two hundred pounds of butter to 6,000 people on Saturday, August 29.

The first corn festivals set the format for future festivals. Future events, included the corn eating contest, music, and local talent shows. Each festival ended with fireworks on Sunday evening. Later festival additions included the festival parade, the Corn Boiler Run, and the extension of the festival to four days.

The festival moved to Angell Park's more spacious grounds in 1955, the third year of the festival. The 1957 corn festival committee assignments included eight committees: dance, corn, butter, queen, concessions, corn sales, rides, and advertising. Bingo in the Angell Park pavilion was added to the roster of events in 1973.

The festival is the major event of the year in Sun Prairie. A corn building staffed by volunteers remains the center of the festival. Local service clubs and organizations use the festival to gain operating funds for their community projects.

In 1997, Stokely USA, expanded their facilities. Stokely had cooked the corn for the festival for years so the festival had the challenge of finding a new location to steam over 70 tons of sweet corn. The solution came in constructing a new "community owned" corn cooking building with the help of local businesses and residents interested in taking "stalk" in the Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival. The community rallied to protect the future of the time-honored tradition that the festival has become. The new corn steaming facility was completed in 1997.

Today, approximately 100,000 people attend the four day Sweet Corn Festival on the 3rd full weekend of August. Nine local organizations still use the festival as one of their major fundraisers during the year and utilize hundreds of volunteers to staff the fest. On Saturday and Sunday nearly 80 ton of sweet corn are served on the grounds. The corn and the carnival continue to be the major attractions on the grounds. In addition, there are a wide variety of family activities, stage shows, musical entertainment, mini-golf, a craft show, specialty attractions, and a parade on Thursday night.

Craft Show

The 2020 Craft Fair Application is now available. Download it here.

The craft fair is held Saturday and Sunday of the four day Sweet Corn Festival on the upper fair grounds (at Angell Park). Our 2020 dates are Saturday, August 22, 11:30-7:00 pm and Sunday, August 23, 11:30-5:00 pm.

Thank you to all of the crafters and all those that attended the 2019 craft fair!

We hope that you will join us again next year!

How Proceeds Used

The annual Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival is utilized by several community organizations as a fundraiser. Funds raised from the festival helps these organizations fund programs and services for the populations they serve. Below are the primary organizations that participate in the festival.
American Legion: This group staffs / runs the Beer Tent or the Burger/Brat/Pizza stand. Proceeds help fund specific projects for their organization.

Chamber of Commerce: The Chamber organizes/runs the event. Proceeds used to promote the community, community events/ activities, shop local programs, relocation packets etc. throughout the year.

Exchange Club: This group staffs/ runs the Corn Tote sales. Proceeds help support Civic Projects, Youth of the Month program, Block Parent program, Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse.

Happy Hikers-4H: The 4-H group staffs/runs the Ice Cream sales. Proceeds help support Project Literature, club activities, trips, projects, supplies, materials and outings.

Knights of Columbus: Sweet Corn Festival is their primary fundraiser and the KC's staff the carnival ticket sales. Proceeds are designated to schools for special education programs, etc.

Lions Club: The Lions Club helps staff parking for the event. Proceeds are used to underwrite High School scholarships, Bike Rodeo, Wisconsin Lions Camp, etc.

Rainbow Park: This group staffs parking in the Rainbow Park parking lot. Proceeds help support Rainbow Park maintenance, upgrades and equipment.

VFW: The VFW staffs/runs either the Beer Shelter or the Brat/Burger/Pizza stand. Proceeds used for building fund, post improvements and for community affairs.

YMCA: The YMCA staffs/runs the Basketball booth. Proceeds are used for sports scholarships and sports equipment needed for YMCA youth programs.

Parade

2020 Parade Application Available here.

The 2020 Sweet Corn Festival Parade will be held August 20, 2020, and begins at 6:00pm.

View the 2020 parade participation guidelines here.

2019 Parade Sponsors:
Updated as forms are received
Columbus Community Hospital
Gus's Diner
Kobussen Buses LTD
Renewed Spirit Day Spa

Kobussen Buses provides shuttle service for parade participants.

A huge thank you to everyone that participated, volunteered, or attended!
If you have any pictures you would like to share, please send them to spchamber@tds.net.

Directions to the Fest

Annual Car Show

Join us August 16th at Prairie Lakes as we cruise Main Street to Angell Park. The cruise will leave Prairie Lakes at about 6 pm. Door prizes will be given away beginning at 4 at both locations. Come show off your car, truck or bike in the third annual Corn Fest Classic Car Cruise!

Calling all Car Buffs! Join Oliver Motors and Vintage Motorcars for the 3^rd Annual Sun Prairie Corn Fest Car Show! This year, Oliver Motors and Vintage Motorcars is proud to Host a unique and FUN car show for everyone to enjoy! Show off your vehicle as we cruise through beautiful downtown Sun Prairie on Friday night, August 16^th! We will start our cruise at Prairie Lakes, drive through the heart of Sun Prairie via Main Street and end around 6:30 pm at the one and only Angell Park! The show will continue until 8:00 pm at Angell Park. All Vehicles are welcome – doesn’t matter the year, shape, size or color! Bring ‘em ALL! Rain or Shine! Come and have some fun!