Lots of corn and fun at Sugar Grove Corn Boil

When the word “corn” is right in the title of the party, it would be unthinkable not have at least one ear.

And the Sugar Grove Corn Boil has plenty on hand to sate appetites, according to “corn king” Dave Burroughs, supervising said boil out back of the Sugar Grove Lions Club building.

The festival committee bought 10,000 ears of corn, he said. Because of the drought ruining the harvest in southern Illinois, where they normally get their corn from, the bicolor kernels festival-goers were nibbling came from Georgia, he said.

By the end of Saturday morning, all but a couple hundred ears had been shucked and were stored in vats of cold water near the boilers.

Burroughs has volunteered at the festival for eight or nine years. And given his druthers, he prefers to eat grilled corn.

Any profits from the sale of corn, hot dogs, bratwurst and bottled water are donated to programs in Sugar Grove, such as a food pantry, he said. Burroughs expected to sell as many as 6,000 ears on Saturday alone.

In front of the building was the Sugar Grove United Methodist Church’s pie booth. The pie sale chairwoman, who has organized it for 14 years, was too modest to give her name, preferring to give credit to all the pie bakers. They brought 70 pies to sell slice by slice. Plus miniature pies, and pies-on-a-stick.

“They (buyers) really love the peach,” she said. Dutch apple and strawberry rhubarb had sold out by 2 p.m.

Near the midway and business exposition, Mike Morkert had set up his Java Plus trailer, selling coffee and funnel cakes.

“Yeah, it (an air conditioner) cools it down to about 95 degrees,” Morkel said, gesturing to the back half of the trailer, away from the vats of hot oil. He’s used to the heat now, he said. He started Java Plus as an online business six years ago and comes out to fairs and festivals to promote it. It’s a side gig for now for the East Aurora elementary school music teacher,

The Corn Boil isn’t just about food. There’s entertainment, a carnival, and the KidZone. In the KidZone, children are treated to crafts, animal exhibits and more. Sunday’s KidZone features a diaper derby, a reptile house, instruction on how to make a duct-tape wallet and a rain-gutter regatta.

There will also be a firefighter water fight.

The Corn Boil continues from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at Main and Snow streets, behind John Shields Elementary School. Parking for disabled and elderly people is available in front of the school. Off-site parking is available at the Sugar Grove Library, 125 Municipal Drive, where a free shuttle (by tractor-drawn wagon) is available.

For a schedule and other information, visit sugargrovecornboil.org.