The annual Corn Festival hosts more than 250 businesses, including foods, crafts, entertainment, an antique car show and activities for children. Some vendors have been coming for years, while others participated for their first time.

The Shippensburg Corn Festival celebrated its 35th anniversary Saturday, Aug. 29 in downtown Shippensburg.

Each year, the festival takes on new food, crafts and entertainment, said the President of the Corn Festival, Debbie Weaver.

For Brenda Elaine Waardenburg of By Brenda Elaine, it was her fourth year selling her custom, handcrafted jewelry at the festival.

“This year is different because our stand is in a different location and the festival just has a different feel to it,” Waardenburg said. “But the people in Shippensburg are nice and you have a lot of repeat customers that come look for you.”

According to Weaver, the 35th anniversary hosted new events such as Corny, the mascot of the Corn Festival, having a specific hour where he took pictures with the children. This was a special addition for the anniversary.

This year’s festival also hosted the 5th anniversary of the corn-eating contest.

“Shippensburg has become known for the festival,” Shippensburg Mayor Bruce Hockersmith said. “During my trip through town, someone had told me that they met someone from Philadelphia who came for the corn-eating contest.”

Though the festival is only for a day, a lot of work goes into the planning and setup, which begins in January.

“There are 10 people on the committee who work to make today happen,” Weaver said. “We are also very fortunate to have all these volunteers.” The committee has pride in what they do because of the benefits it provides to the community. The money that is made from the Corn Festival goes right back into Shippensburg.

Starting in January, when planning officially starts, the committee receives requests on where to donate the money to beautify Shippensburg, Weaver said.

The streetlights in Shippensburg were a main focus of the committee with the money raised. Also, the committee recently donated $15,000 to build a gazebo in Pocket Park on North Fayette Street. The donation helps a larger plan to renovate the park.

“The proceeds from the Corn Festival have done a great deal of helping the community, such as the park, murals, street lights and Christmas lights. It’s extremely good for the community,” Hockersmith said.

The festival helps Shippensburg, and according to Weaver, there is always a favorite part of the festival for everyone.

“My favorite part is when I get here at four in the morning and no one is on the streets, but at 7 a.m., the streets start to unfold and I get to see everyone’s smiling faces,” Weaver said.

While Weaver enjoys everything behind the scenes, Hockersmith appreciates the music of local talent, such as the town band. This year, he enjoyed hearing the SU Marching Band perform at the festival.

“The festival helps people realize that there’s a very beautiful little town in South Central Pennsylvania,” he said.

Share