How the North Ridgeville Corn Festival Got Its Start

There is nothing more quintessentially Ohio than sweet corn in the summer. Whatever way you like your corn prepared, you can probably find it at a stall lining Bainbridge Road during the North Ridgeville Corn Festival the second weekend of August. 

The tradition started in 1975, as the Lorain County city was looking to hold a celebration for the United States’ bicentennial the following year. John Butkowski answered the call to form a committee and with the area’s long history of corn farming, his idea was clear.

“I suggested to the group that maybe we have a corn festival … it could be a fun thing,” recalls Butkowski, president of the North Ridgeville Corn Festival.

So, they held the first one in 1975 and had just 13 vendor booths, but Butkowski says it was well attended. Today, the North Ridgeville Corn Festival (Aug. 7 to 9 this year) offers three days packed with vendors, live entertainment and, of course, corn.

The festival committee sells locally grown sweet with a secret method of preparation that comes from an Amish community in southern Ohio. Other stalls sell grilled corn, popcorn and Mexican street corn. 

Instead of a traditional fireworks display, the festival kicks off on Friday with a show featuring 100 glowing drones that form animations in the sky. Saturday starts with a classic car show in the morning and the ever-popular corn-eating contest in the afternoon. The festivities close out on Sunday with the mile-long Grand Parade.

“It’s a way to bring the community together and give people a great time without asking them to spend a lot of money,” Butkowski says.

7565 Avon Belden Rd., North Ridgeville 44039, 440/218-9802, nrcornfest.org

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