After a brief hiatus last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 40th annual Shippensburg Corn Festival was back and just as live as ever.

This past Saturday, more 250 craft vendors and 40 food vendors set up at the Shippensburg Fairgrounds located at 10131 Possum Hollow Road for the yearly event.

The Shippensburg Corn Fest was originally founded by the Shippensburg Heritage and Recreation Planning Society (SHARP) as a way to protect the history of the Shippensburg community.

The festival was created as a fundraiser to help with this goal, and has since grown into a staple event of the community.

The festival had to be moved from its usual location in downtown because of the ever-changing nature of the COVID-19 restrictions. Usually, food and craft vendors are set up along King Street and Earl Street as a single stretch. At the fairgrounds, tents and tables were set up in several rows, where music and the smell of freshly cooked food wafted through the air. 

However, according to Michael Smith, the vice president for the corn festival, turnout from the community and from vendors was at the same level as the past several years.

Throughout the day, a variety of entertainment was provided for guests who attended the festival. Despite the temperature reaching the low 90s, throngs of attendees walked up and down the rows of tents. 

Local talent such as Hemlock Hollow, Mid Life Crisis, and the Shippensburg University Marching Band all performed, along with many other unique acts.

The Corn Festival is always held on the last Saturday in August, and next year’s festival will be held on Saturday, Aug. 27. 

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