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Mendota Sweet Corn Festival is Aug. 8-11
By Peggy Werner he unusually wet spring left fields under water, causing the corn crop to either not get planted on time, or not get planted at all. This made Mendota Chamber of Commerce President Kate Fox wonder if there would be a sweet corn festival this year. Thanks to a better corn crop south of the Rockford area, the 72nd Mendota Sweet Corn Festival will be Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 8-11, and will feature local musicians, a beer garden, amusement rides, food vendors, craft booths, a fitness run and walk, a blood drive, tennis tournaments, a king and queen pageant – and yes, lots of corn. “We usually get our sweet corn from Mendota, but the corn is too immature to pick in time for the festival. We were able to get the corn from the DelMonte fields in Peoria, lll., which will provide us with
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corn for the weekend,” she says. Fox says the festival usually goes through about 50 tons of corn. Freshly picked corn will be sold for $4 a dozen on Saturday and Sunday during festival hours. Beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday, while supplies last, hot boiled corn will be given away. The Mendota Optimist Club will be selling roasted corn Friday through Sunday. In addition to all the corn, more than 50 food vendors will line two city blocks along Illinois Avenue and Washington Street, providing classic favorites like corn dogs, hot dogs, burgers, nachos, pork chops, brats, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, pizza, wings, cotton candy, kettle corn, funnel cakes, elephant ears, taffy, pulled pork and more. Ethnic favorites will include chicken or beef kabobs, Italian sausage, Italian
July 31
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beef, Italian ice, tacos, burritos, gyros, baklava, Greek salad, fried pickles and more. Lemon shake-ups, snow cones, iced tea, root beer floats and frozen cappuccino will be among drink options. The festival will begin with a “Special Afternoon for Special Kids” from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday for any individual with special needs and their immediate families. Those wanting to attend the free event need to pre-register by calling the chamber at (815) 539-6507. Also on Thursday, carnival rides and food
