DeKalb’s 2021 Corn Fest weekend a record-breaking success

DeKALB – After three days of live music, about 100 vendors, carnival games and rides and free corn, the 44th year of Corn Fest came to a close Sunday, and organizers said this year’s festival broke records for carnival ticket sales.

The festival, which took place Friday through Sunday in downtown DeKalb, is believed to have set attendance records, although since it is a free festival with no ticket admission, the exact number of attendees is unknown. However, the number of carnival tickets sold broke records, and the number of beer garden tickets sold was equal to 2019′s attendance.

Corn Fest is one of the last remaining free music festivals among Illinois music festivals and summer festivals. The sound stage’s headliner this year was Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry, who performed on Sunday.

The Chuck Siebrasse Corn Boil, featuring free ears of corn steamed by a steam traction engine, was held Saturday. This year’s corn was grown by the Wessels family. Within three hours, more than 8,000 ears of corn were distributed during the corn boil.

Melissa Butts, Corn Fest’s vendor chair and site coordinator, described this year’s event as “one of the hottest Corn Fests I can remember, but also one of the best.”

“People were excited to be back around people, excited to see their favorite vendors, excited to listen to live music again,” she said. “Everyone was having fun. It was so good to feel a little bit of normalcy after the past year and a half of COVID.”

Corn Fest began in 1977 as a corn boil, and Butts said that the event has grown exponentially since its start.

“It has become a once-a-year festival to see friends, family and those you know, from preschool to college classmates, previous co-workers and people you knew from years ago,” Butts said. “It also allowed people to support downtown DeKalb businesses. DeKalb’s downtown has so much to offer people, and when you take the time to walk it and just meander around, you’ll find hidden treasures.”

Brian Oster, a board member of the Corn Fest committee, said that sponsorships of the event were up 20% this year.

“Corn Fest is not run by the city, it’s not run by the chamber. It’s a nonprofit organization that’s fully supported by sponsorships,” Oster said. “Every dollar and sponsorship makes a difference, and we wouldn’t be able to have Corn Fest without sponsors, period. One of our largest expenses has always been the community stage, and this year, through a sponsorship with the Egyptian Theatre, the community stage was the Egyptian Theatre’s stage. People could cool off in the air conditioning, relax and enjoy local acts on the Egyptian’s stage.”

Oster said what keeps people coming back year after year to Corn Fest is “the festival atmosphere.”

“People come and stay for hours, stroll through the beer garden, eat funnel cakes, shop at almost 100 diverse vendors,” he said. “There’s live music, two and a half blocks of carnival rides and games and plenty to see and do in downtown DeKalb. It allows a way to rediscover the downtown area and celebrate summer in DeKalb one weekend a year.”

Next year’s Corn Fest will take place Aug. 26 through 28 in downtown DeKalb.

For information about Corn Fest, visit www.cornfest.com.