Corn Roast for Special Olympics back at Randy's Vegetables

After organizing a fundraiser for five years, coordinators realize events that are crowd-pleasers and events that don't do so well.

In the case of Christine Gaitsch's Corn Roast for Special Olympics, small games for children didn't do well last year.

"The car show worked, though," said Gaitsch, who runs Randy's Vegetables farm stand on Randall Road in Sleepy Hollow with her husband. "We'll have the car show again this year. In fact, we even have a different organizer, so we expect more cars."

She is counting on 50 classic cars to be on display.

The $1 and $10 raffles held throughout the day also worked. They will return with more donated items from area retailers and sports teams. Hopefully, they will attract the public when the seven-hour corn roast starts at 10 a.m. Sunday.

If Gaitsch's formula for success proves right, hundreds of people will attend and thousands of dollars will be raised for Illinois Special Olympics, an organization that trains and stages athletic events for physically and mentally disabled children and adults.

"Local stores have donated air compressors, gift certificates, and gardening tools," she said. "The Chicago Cubs have donated autographed baseballs, and we have tickets for Schaumburg Boomers games."

Gaitsch partners with the Sleepy Hollow Police Department to put on the roast. It actually is part of a yearlong fundraising effort to support the Special Olympics Torch Run, another fundraiser. Law enforcement agencies throughout Illinois organize and run from the northern and southern ends of the state to the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana campus where the Summer Games are held.

Last year, supporters ate 1,200 ears of corn and purchased hundreds of raffle tickets at the Sleepy Hollow roast, allowing Gaitsch to donate $5,600 to the organization.

"Weather will make it work well this year," she said. "Naturally, we're hoping for good weather on Sunday, but we are hoping for rain between now and then."

The rain will help ears grow fatter since a rainy spring delayed farmers from planting their corn crop.

"To be as successful as we can be, we have planned events for the entire family," she said. "Along with the cars, there will be arts and crafts booths, representatives from a (police department's) emergency response team, and face painting."

And, there will be corn along with other refreshments.

For details, call Randy's at (847) 428-5244. For details on the car show, call (847) 773-7896.