Celebrating A Popular Corn Festival In A Midwest Small Town

Celebrating A Popular Corn Festival In A Midwest Small Town

 

Chances are you have never seen an entire small town go crazy for sweet corn like the folks in Loyal, Wisconsin. Sure, bigger corn festivals exist but the Loyal Corn Festival in Central Wisconsin captures the essence of what makes small towns great. A common bond of unity and respect among residents creates the soul of a small town. Even if a stranger comes into town the residents treat them equally as a neighbor.  

 

Each small town is different with a personality of its own. If you don’t look closely you will likely drive through and miss gaining your own rewarding experience.

 

We share some good ideas for a Wisconsin road trip in addition to what a small town corn festival is like. On the surface, you can easily picture what to expect at a small town corn festival. When you pause to take a closer look you’ll uncover fun memories you will never forget.

 

See how to eat as much as you want the entire weekend for only two dollars. But be careful so that you don’t get caught up in a corn grabbers frenzy. Additionally, you’ll look up to “Steady Eddie” and his crazy antics.

 

A Wisconsin Road Trip Through Small Towns For Fresh Cheese

 

What started as a short drive through Wisconsin backroads and small towns to get cheese turned into a fun day of discovery that ended at a sweet corn festival. Our plan only included stopping at Nasonville Dairy for fresh cheese curds and cheese then into Marshfield to see what downtown had to offer. Other than that, whichever small roads looked interesting would take us back home.

 

Small Town Road Trip From Osseo To Marshfield

 

We left Eau Claire, Wisconsin and drove on Interstate 94 for a short distance to Osseo. From Osseo take Highway 10 to Neillsville. Watch out for Amish buggies along the way as soon as you exit the interstate in Osseo. Expect to see Amish farms between Osseo and Marshfield and keep an eye out for hand-painted signs for their shops too.

 

Tip: Osseo is home to the Norske Nook, a well-known Norwegian restaurant. Mention them to anyone and immediately you’ll hear about their famous pies. In fact, their pies might be all you hear about!

 

Just before Neillsville, the Highground Veterans Memorial Park and Museum offers a beautiful memorial park with an outstanding view.

 

Another small town roadside attraction in Neillsville you don’t want to miss is Chatty Belle, the World’s Largest Talking Cow. Put a quarter in the box and listen to her story. Look for Chatty Belle next to the 1964-65 ultra-modern New York’s World’s Fair Wisconsin Pavillion. This is a fun stop right across from the Clark County Fairgrounds.  

 

Why You Need To Visit Nasonville Dairy Cheese Shop

The next stop is Nasonville Dairy. You should stop here because they have four Master Cheesemakers on staff, which is unheard of. Their cheese shop is a throwback to the old Wisconsin-style cheese factory shops. Each small town cheese factory had a small store attached. Don’t expect anything fancy though just award winning cheese and the freshest cheese curds you can get. 

 

Tip: Windows from the cheese shop look into the factory so you can watch them make cheese.

 

A Visit To Marshfield Needs More Time

 

A few minutes later we entered Marshfield to explore what this small town had to offer. We drove slowly through downtown trying to take everything in. Our plan didn’t include spending a lot of time in Marshfield so we will definitely come back with a plan. 

 

 

On the north end of Marshfield we came across the farmers market next to the road in the Festival Foods parking lot. How could we not stop? The farmers market has a good variety of vendors and products including many Amish sellers too. You can’t miss their carts backed in rows just like the other pickup trucks.

 

You will be surprised at what this small town of 18,000 people has to offer. Marshfield, we’ll be back!   

 

Go north on Highway 13 until you come into the small town of Spencer then go west on highway 98.  

 

Plan a stop at Things That Grow after a few miles. It’s an old dairy farm turned into a greenhouse. The dairy barn has been charmingly remodeled into their shop so you need to walk inside to see a part of history.  

If you have never been into an old dairy barn then you must see this. In the past, rocks and cement made foundation walls for the barn. Outside edges of exposed rocks create a dotted pattern in between its cement joints. Together with weathered barn wood, you can turn back the clock to a rustic time in Wisconsin’s history.  

We bought three large mums for 21.00 dollars. Cool place, check it out.

 

All Signs Point To Loyal For A Sweet Corn Festival

 

 

Loyal Corn Festival signs increased with every mile we got closer to this small town. We thought it was just another small-town summer festival. We were wrong.

 

After seeing so many signs on every corner and along the roadside, how could we not drive through Loyal to check out their corn festival? First, we drove through downtown then followed the streets around the corn festival.

 

Trucks with long cargo trailers lined the first street we turned on. Since they all had their ramps down and side doors open we looked into each one as we drove past. These held mini hot rods for the pulling competition. Smaller cargo trailers lined the street next. These held hot rod lawnmowers for the lawnmower pull. Many of these souped-up lawnmowers were lined up for competition. Several had their drivers sitting on them revving their modified engines loudly.  

 

On the next corner, horse trailers are scattered throughout the Vita Mix feed mill dirt parking area. Horses were out of their trailers waiting around for their horse pulling event to start.

 

Time To Take A Closer Look

 

The next street led to the carnival area so we turned on it for a closer view. Some corny (I couldn’t resist) t-shirts in the souvenir stand caught my eye so I had to look at them. My two favorites were Be A Corn Star and Just Shuck It with a big cartoon ear of corn in the middle.

 

Kim Schweiger, who has led the Loyal Corn Festival for ten years and staffed the t-shirt booth, kept telling me that I needed to buy a button for two dollars. I finally had to ask what the button was about since it was such a big deal. She pointed to the covered pavilion and said that’s where you buy the corn to eat. People need a button to be allowed to eat corn. I nodded my head and promised I would go see it.  

This really stirred my curiosity so I had to see how this worked.

 

For two dollars a button buys all-you-can-eat freshly cooked corn on the cob for the entire festival. Yes, only two dollars. Other corn festivals charge two dollars for just one ear.  

 

What a deal!  

 

How To Eat Sweet Corn At The Loyal, Wisconsin Corn Festival

 

 

After you buy your button go inside the pavilion then wait at the conveyor belt for steaming hot corn to come out. Notably, Loyal’s own Roth Manufacturing made this specialized corn carrier just for the corn festival. You can find a picnic table while waiting until a fresh batch of corn shoots out if you would like.

Beware! When the buzzer sounds people make a mad dash to the conveyor to get the first steaming hot ears of corn that ride out. If not fast enough you could find yourself waiting behind rows of frenzied corn grabbers. 

 

Grab your ear of corn then quickly pull the shucks back before the steam burns your hands. Holding your corn by the shucks let the ear dangle as you go to the butter and salt station. A butter warmer and mini paintbrush makes it easier to spread the golden liquid butter on your sweet corn. If you prefer salt on your corn then shake it on after you butter it so the salt sticks. Of course, only Wisconsin butter made from local dairy farms is used!  

Enjoy eating your sweet corn by yourself or with others. Besides, in a small town, this is an excellent time to socialize with other townspeople.

 

How To Cook Six Tons Of Sweet Corn At The Loyal Wisconsin Corn Festival

 

To begin with, someone needs to pick up six tons of sweet corn. That job belongs to Mayor Carmen Englebretson’s husband, Patrick. He drove the dump truck round trip for four and a half hours to pick up a heaping load of fresh sweet corn. That’s more than double the mileage they usually drive to get sweet corn for the festival. To point out, freshly harvested sweet corn came from the field the same morning the festival started. For years Del Monte supplied the sweet corn but this year they didn’t plant any corn in Wisconsin.

 

You Won’t Believe How Volunteers Cook The Sweet Corn

When the load gets back to town volunteers rake roughly 15,000 ears of sweet corn out of the back into large steel buckets full of holes. Now it’s time to cook the corn. Each batch takes about twenty-five minutes to cook in a huge pressure cooker. While the sweet corn cooks someone needs to watch the pressure gauge to release any excess pressure by opening a valve. When the valve handle cracks open a loud whoosh of steam can startle anyone not expecting it, including me.  

 

Buckets are hoisted in and out of the pressure cooker with an industrial size chain and hook.

 

The instant the sweet corn is ready volunteers hoist each bucket of steaming hot corn about twenty feet to dump onto a table with a hole cut in the middle. Someone pushes the buzzer signaling that the freshly cooked corn is on its way, then volunteers push the scalding hot ears of sweet corn into the hole. Away they go to an eager audience fixating on the best ears of corn moving towards them. Most of them hope ears they spot make it all the way to them before someone else picks it to chomp on.

 

 I guess you can see this as a corn lottery. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Although, I don’t think there are many losers for two dollars all-you-can-eat sweet corn.

 

How To Become Famous At The Loyal, Wisconsin Corn Festival

 

 

You might not make the national news at night but find the Golden Ear and claim your spot in the parade.  

 

Each year for 48 years the famous five-inch-long Golden Ear hides in a Loyal public property. One by one clues are released until someone finally finds it.  

 

Be the first to find it and claim fame along with one hundred dollars to spend at the Corn festival or any Loyal Business. In addition, gain bragging rights for one year.

 

Better start practicing your best queen’s parade wave! 

 

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See “Steady Eddie” At The Loyal, Wisconsin Corn Festival Parade

 

I think one of the most unique things has to be this year’s parade participation from ‘Steady Eddie’ the stilt walker. His four kids were all on stilts as well as Eddy’s fourteen grandchildren

Carmen Englesbretson, mayor

 

 

The Loyal Corn Festival is held the last weekend of August each year. Along with filling up with corn, other events include a tractor, truck, mini hot rod, lawnmower, horse, and kids pedal pulls. Plus, a carnival, bingo, city-wide garage sale, running/walking marathon, corn hole tournament, live band, and of course a parade.

 

This isn’t any small town parade though. For example, Mayor Englebretson said “ I think one of the most unique things has to be this year’s parade participation from ‘Steady Eddy’ the Stiltwalker. His four kids were all on stilts as well as Eddy’s fourteen grandchildren.”  

 

“Steady Eddie” Wolf, the stilt walker world record holder, is from Loyal. He broke the world record in 1981 by walking on stilts one mile south of Loyal on the family farm. Consequently, Loyal’s fire department had to haul his stilts to the farm on their hook and ladder truck. 

 

 In 1986, “Steady Eddie” appeared on Japanese television to claim his record again for the world’s tallest stilt walker for the Guinness Book Of World Records. His new record was recorded as 40 feet, 6 inches. Previously, he held the record in 1980 and 1983. 

 

In the past, “Steady Eddie” rode a unicycle while pedaling with his stilts. Now, this is mindblowing!

 

Final Thoughts

Once again, we discovered something unique by driving back roads through small towns. Finding each small town’s personality becomes easy when you take a closer look. Take time to talk with local residents and you will uncover much more than you ever imagined.

 

What are some of your favorite festivals?

 

Thanks for reading Celebrating A Popular Corn Festival In A Midwest Small Town.

 

Send us an email with any travel questions you have!

Tom and Kristi