Sugar Grove Corn Boil festival brings community together

Over 49 years the Sugar Grove Corn Boil has become a hometown tradition for new Sugar Grove residents, as well as for the ones who have lived there or volunteered at the festival for years.

“Everybody knows about the corn boil. I'm finding that the newer residents are getting excited,” said Pat Graceffa, a member of the festival's bingo and medallion hunt committees. “I think it's a tradition in Sugar Grove. People would be very sad if there was no corn boil.”

The Sugar Grove Corn Boil runs Thursday through Sunday, July 28-31, at Volunteer Park, 61 Main St. All the money raised by the festival is donated local organizations.

“I think that is one of the most rewarding parts of the whole year. You can be Santa Claus,” festival President Jean Lindsay said. “We have a certain budget, and if we've met that budget or if we've been fortunate to beat the budget, then we have more money for the local organizations. That's part of the whole point of the event.”

The festival, which features carnival rides, live music, a kids' zone and bingo, is designed to appeal to visitors of all ages.

“We are trying to fit some interest for everybody,” Lindsay said. “We are hoping to get something for everybody. We've really worked hard to keep it manageable for families … so that it's affordable and fun.”

This year's opening ceremony and parade, which is at 5 p.m. Friday, July 29, will feature the Special Olympics of the Fox Valley area.

“We are pretty excited. We have some actual participants of the Special Olympics. If you have never met an Olympic gold medalist, this is the opportunity to do that,” said volunteer David Burroughs, who is in charge of cooking the corn.

Burroughs said he cooks about 9,000 ears of corn each year as well as hot dogs, bratwurst and sliced fruit.

New to the festival this year is a Pokemon Go meetup as well as a car show.

The Pokemon Go meetup provides kids an opportunity to go searching for Pokemon while meeting new people at the fair. To test out the meetup, there was a meetup at the Sugar Grove Public Library in which 25-30 kids participated.

“We got a kick out of it because these were kids that didn't know each other, and they were sitting there chatting with each other, sharing what they found and just having a good time,” Graceffa said. “It got them to the library and out and about and that's what we are hoping for the corn boil.”

The Pokemon Go meetup is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, July 31, and will include a raffle to win a portable charger.

The Rock n' Roll Car Show is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, July 31, with an entry fee of $10 per car.

“Hopefully they're going to enjoy it. It'll be a new thing for us on Sunday,” Lindsay said. “If it turns out that it draws a crowd, we will definitely be doing it again.”

Longtime Corn Boil traditions include the medallion hunt and fireworks.

Every year, the corn boil includes a medallion hunt in memory of Robert Carol, a longtime volunteer for the Corn Boil. The hunt began on June 9, and the committee has been issuing clues on the location of the medallion.

“(Carol) got such a kick out of it, we wanted to get a tradition out of it,” Graceffa said. “We are excited that we got all the way to the end (of the clues). We are very confident someone will step forward on Thursday and claim the prize.”

The final clue will be given Thursday, July 28. The winner will receive a $50 cash prize as well as recognition at the opening ceremonies.

One of the most popular events is the fireworks show at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 30. The fireworks are in memory of Bob Bohler, a longtime volunteer who was in charge of the fireworks for many years but died of cancer last year.

“He worked hard to keep the fireworks going for a long time. It's an integral part of the Corn Boil. It really brings the people out. It's the big finale on Saturday night,” Burroughs said.

Admission to the festival is free. Presale wristbands for the carnival are $20, but the sale ends at 3 p.m. Thursday, July 28. Afterward, wristbands cost $25.

People wishing to participate in the festival's 5K Run-Walk can register for $25. The race is at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, July 30.

The Sugar Grove Corn Boil is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday, July 28, with carnival rides only; 4 to 11 p.m. Friday, July 29; 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 30; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 31.

For details, visit sugargrovecornboil.org.