Council asks for ideas to revive corn festival
Organizers seeking public input amid rising costs for annual event
The cost of headline acts, insurance and policing have made the Tecumseh Corn Festival “not sustainable,” Tecumseh Mayor Gary Mcnamara said Wednesday.
The town will hold a public meeting to get ideas on the future direction of the end-of-summer festival that is going into its 45th year.
The town isn’t about to cancel the event that’s been named one of the top 100 festivals in Ontario and is tradition with sweet corn from Bonduelle, one of the main sponsors, Mcnamara said.
“We’re looking at kind of a refresh,” Mcnamara said Wednesday.
The town still has a strong relationship with the Optimist Club of St. Clair Beach that runs the corn booth but would welcome more volunteers, service clubs and sponsors, and even a group to take over running the festival, Mcnamara said.
A news release announcing a Feb. 12 public meeting said that over the last five years the costs of headline entertainment, insurance and policing increased “to a level that is not sustainable.”
It has been difficult to commit to headline acts when the town isn’t sure if it will get the grants or sponsors needed or if the weather will co-operate, Mcnamara said.
The town’s parks and recreation department has run the festival since 2018 as an alcohol-free event and the town wants to keep the festival going but would like to be in a supportive role, he said.
Getting enough volunteers has been difficult.
Council wants ideas on how the festival can evolve and asked residents for feedback during a recent survey.
“We’re trying to transition and find other organizations out there that might have an interest and there might be opportunities for them to raise funds for charities,” Mcnamara said.
The town will host a public information centre Feb. 12 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Tecumseh Recreation Complex and Arena and comments will also be received at tecumseh.ca until Feb. 28.
Community feedback suggests the festival has become “stale,” a November report to council said. Staff are doing a detailed review that will look at things like the hours of operation, entertainment and the Miss Tecumseh contest, and need comments on what residents want before administration proposes a program for the Aug. 28 to Aug. 30 festival.
Parks and recreation director Paul Anthony said all festivals face increased costs, decreased grants, and more competition from other events.
While everyone relates to the history of the festival, changes are needed, he said.
“The last couple years we’ve gone to a really family-oriented festival and it’s been well received,” Anthony said.
A festival budget of about $68,000 has been approved, he said.
The first Tecumseh Corn Festival was held in 1975 in Lacasse Park.
The three-day event attracts about 15,000 people depending on the weather, which is a dramatic drop from the years when the corn fest could garner big name entertainers.