The North Ridgeville Corn Festival began in 1975 as a way to celebrate America’s upcoming bicentennial in 1976 and has continued to pop its way into the community’s hearts ever since.
“We wanted to memorialize the fact that North Ridgeville is part of the nation’s birthday activities, so we decided on a festival and focused on the fact that a lot of corn was farmed in North Ridgeville,” says John Butkowski, president of The North Ridgeville Corn Festival and member of the first committee.
The original festival was a single-day affair with 13 booths and celebrated the community, along with Harold Sweet Farm, the largest agricultural business in the community at the time.
If you missed this year’s festival, there’s no need to stalk off disappointed. Here are three ways to enjoy corn at home, all year round:
Amish-style cooked corn.
Instead of boiling the corn in water, boil it in a condiment of your choosing.
Street corn.
Roll the corn in butter, slather it in a mayonnaise that’s been livened up with lime and sprinkle it with parmesan cheese.
Grilled corn.
Soak a full unhusked ear of corn in water and grill it. Afterward, rip off the husk and dip it in butter.
“A lot of people just add salt and pepper to corn, but you can add a lot of other things to it,” Butkowski says.
North Ridgeville Corn Festival
PO Box 39103, North Ridgeville,
440-218-9802, nrcornfest.org
