Celebrate a part of Palm Beach County’s heritage with the Upcoming Sweet Corn Fiesta
West Palm Beach, Fla. — Yesteryear Village at the South Florida Fairgrounds is the place to be on the last Sunday of April to enjoy some of the best locally grown sweet corn, watch amateurs and professionals chow down during a competitive corn eating contest, and partake in a number of other outdoor festivities. The 14th annual Sweet Corn Fiesta will provide all of this and more from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun., April 27. More than 4,000 expected visitors are expected to attend.
Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-11, and free to kids 5 years old and younger. A $5 unlimited rides wristband is available for kids. Parking is free. No outside food or beverages are permitted.
“This is a great value for a day of family-friendly entertainment,” said organizer Ann Holt.
The festivities include kids’ games and rides, fresh sweet corn and other fair-type foods and a sweet corn recipe contest sponsored by the Farm Credit. Those who wish to participate should bring their sweet corn dish already prepared. The winner will receive $100.
The contests will begin at 1 p.m. and will include an old-fashioned bathing suit competition, a kids’ shucking contest, adult shucking and amateur eating contest and the International Corn Eating Contest featuring Major League Eating around 3 p.m. The winner will take home $2,500 and the title of International Corn Eating Champion. The current record is 46 ears in 12 minutes, which was set on April 25, 2010 at the Sweet Corn Fiesta by Joe LaRue. The reigning champion from the 13th Annual Sweet Corn Fiesta is Notorious B.O.B. (Bob Shoudt). Winners of the kids’ contest will receive a medal and bragging rights. Adult winners in the amateur category will receive a trophy and $100. To enter, participants must sign up before 12:45 p.m. at the registration table in front of the schoolhouse. No entry fee is required.
Live music, including the Krystal River Band, will be playing between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and will culminate with a 4 p.m. concert with singer-songwriter-musician Tom Jackson. His brand of music is a new driving, aggressive style of country music. His songwriting comes from the life he lives and speaks to the heart of his fans. In 2012 and in 2013, Jackson was hand picked to have a private audition for the hit NBC television show “The Voice,” where he made it to the final round.
The Sweet Corn Fiesta celebrates Palm Beach County’s heritage as the “corn capital of the world.” Palm Beach County grows more sweet corn than any other country in the world. Local farmers cultivate more than 27,000 acres yearly. Few counties grow half that acreage. With a shelf life of a week to 10 days, the local yield is quickly shipped to supermarkets throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.
The Sweet Corn Fiesta is an outreach activity of the Western Palm Beach County Farm Bureau and is made possible by sponsors and volunteers. Proceeds go to agriculture education and advocacy and to Glades area food banks. For more information, call 561-996-0343 or visit the website, http:// ;http://www.sweetcornfiesta.com.