This young boy was one of many visitors to Litchfield’s Sweet Corn Days who enjoyed free sweet corn. This was his first time trying sweet corn.
Photo by Torri Ballentine
by Mike Warner
For outdoor event organizers like Litchfield’s Cassidy Taylor, no matter how much planning takes place, one eye - perhaps both eyes as the event draws closer - is always on the weather.
Too much heat, too much precipitation, and too much cold are among the biggest enemies when planning an outdoor festival like Sweet Corn Days, which was held Saturday, August 15, in Litchfield.
The event was held despite threatening skies and a steady drizzle at points during the day.
“Yeah, the weather was disappointing,” said Taylor, who, in addition to being an SCD organizer, doubles as Litchfield’s city clerk. “The attendance was good right after the (morning) parade, but I think the steady sprinkling sent some people home early, but we were lucky it didn’t rain even harder.
“A lot of local people showed up, and we’re grateful for that,” Taylor added. “I was impressed by the number of people there right after the parade. That’s how I envisioned the entire day would have been without the rain, but, obviously, you can’t control the weather.”
Taylor was anxious to see how the festival unfolded at its new location after being moved from the downtown park to Purdy Park adjacent to Litchfield Community Schools’ athletic complex. The festival also utilized the school district’s property, giving the setting a large, open, unconfined feeling.
“I liked the central location of the Rotary’s chicken barbecue, the free sweet corn and canopies,” Taylor remarked. “You could walk through the grounds and talk to everyone you’ve ever known in Litchfield.
“In the months leading up to Sweet Corn Days, there was some apprehension about the new location,” Taylor admitted. “I think there were plenty of people skeptical about the change. But I think even with a little lower attendance, the move proved to be a success.
“I’m extremely happy with the new location; now we need to decide what to do about next year,” she added.
One issue Taylor pointed out is the need for additional parking. Even though the city/school site offered significantly more parking than what is available downtown, Taylor said some people still had a long walk to get to the activities.
For outdoor event organizers like Litchfield’s Cassidy Taylor, no matter how much planning takes place, one eye - perhaps both eyes as the event draws closer - is always on the weather.
Too much heat, too much precipitation, and too much cold are among the biggest enemies when planning an outdoor festival like Sweet Corn Days, which was held Saturday, August 15, in Litchfield.
The event was held despite threatening skies and a steady drizzle at points during the day.
“Yeah, the weather was disappointing,” said Taylor, who, in addition to being an SCD organizer, doubles as Litchfield’s city clerk. “The attendance was good right after the (morning) parade, but I think the steady sprinkling sent some people home early, but we were lucky it didn’t rain even harder.
“A lot of local people showed up, and we’re grateful for that,” Taylor added. “I was impressed by the number of people there right after the parade. That’s how I envisioned the entire day would have been without the rain, but, obviously, you can’t control the weather.”
Taylor was anxious to see how the festival unfolded at its new location after being moved from the downtown park to Purdy Park adjacent to Litchfield Community Schools’ athletic complex. The festival also utilized the school district’s property, giving the setting a large, open, unconfined feeling.
“I liked the central location of the Rotary’s chicken barbecue, the free sweet corn and canopies,” Taylor remarked. “You could walk through the grounds and talk to everyone you’ve ever known in Litchfield.
“In the months leading up to Sweet Corn Days, there was some apprehension about the new location,” Taylor admitted. “I think there were plenty of people skeptical about the change. But I think even with a little lower attendance, the move proved to be a success.
“I’m extremely happy with the new location; now we need to decide what to do about next year,” she added.
One issue Taylor pointed out is the need for additional parking. Even though the city/school site offered significantly more parking than what is available downtown, Taylor said some people still had a long walk to get to the activities.
“Especially for some of our older visitors. We might look at moving the car show north on the property to free up more parking closer to the action.”
Following the festival, Taylor had a lengthy list of positives linked to the location change.
“I thought the 5K had more runners than ever. Peggy Jump did an incredible job organizing it. It was a nice nostalgic route that was a tribute to former track coach Jim Wildt. Having it on Saturday morning was great.” Taylor was also impressed with music offerings.
“There was a lot of great local talent on the stage,” Taylor said.
“I thought we had a lot of vendors, most of whom said they want to come back next year when, hopefully, the weather is better.”
Taylor also cited the shorter parade route as a positive, especially for those who walked in the event.
“I’m excited about planning for next year,” Taylor said. “Normally, right after the festival I’m pretty tired and worn out, but after all the positive feedback we’ve gotten, I’m ready to go.”
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