© 2024 WNIJ and WNIU
Northern Public Radio
801 N 1st St.
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-9000
Northern Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Corn Fest Returns To Downtown DeKalb

cornfest.com

Corn Fest is heading back to downtown DeKalb next weekend. For the past five years, Corn Fest has been held at the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport.

Another major change this year is the timing of the festival, which traditionally has coincided with NIU's new student move-in week.

Festival organizer Lisa Angel says going forward Corn Fest will continue to be held in the downtown, but will be scheduled for the week following NIU's move-in activities.

Angel hopes this year's Labor Day timing will fill the gap left by the cancellation of Rockford's annual "On The Waterfront" festival.

An estimated 24,000 free steamed ears of corn will be handed out during the event.

Holding Corn Fest at the airport drew mixed reviews, but Angel says it allowed for more space. She says a few events will be moved around from their previous downtown locations to accommodate parking and foot traffic.

Traffic Note: Lincoln Highway through downtown DeKalb will close starting at 3 pm on Aug. 29 through the end of the festival Sunday.

Jenna Dooley has spent her professional career in public radio. She is a graduate of Northern Illinois University and the Public Affairs Reporting Program at the University of Illinois - Springfield. She returned to Northern Public Radio in DeKalb after several years hosting Morning Edition at WUIS-FM in Springfield. She is a former "Newsfinder of the Year" from the Illinois Associated Press and recipient of NIU's Donald R. Grubb Journalism Alumni Award. She is an active member of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association and an adjunct instructor at NIU.