The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Dave LeRoy named Citizen of Year
Cornpopper Farm owner has exhibited love for horses, community
There are many ways in which to serve a community, and for Dave LeRoy, it’s all about horses.
LeRoy, who recently was named the 2021 Concord Township Citizen of the Year, has shared his knowledge and love of horses for more than 60 years. As the owner of Cornpopper Farm on Ravenna Road, he has bred, trained, rented and boarded hundreds of horses for township residents and others.
Accompanying his business pursuits were numerous hours of volunteer efforts with such entities as 4-H, the Lake County Fair and annual parades.
Concord Township Recreation Director Debra Esker recently commented on LeRoy’s honor, which was presented to him by township trustees at an awards ceremony earlier this month.
“Dave is known for the development of a successful and long-term horse business in Concord Township as well as his service to the community,” Esker said. “In addition to teaching hundreds of Concord kids how to ride, he hosted legendary Fourth of July Horse Shows at his farm.”
The annual shows drew participants and spectators from all over Ohio and surrounding states.
LeRoy was born in Troy Township and moved to Mentor as a youngster. In 1947, his parents purchased about 20 acres of property in Concord Township, where the family raised cows, chickens, pigs, goats, sheep and horses.
Along with daily farm chores, he attended Concord’s Consolidate School (now the Riverside maintenance building) and Riverside High School. After graduation in 1958, the industrious young man bought the farm from his parents.
During that time he also worked as a meat cutter, and that’s when a serious mishap occurred. While lifting slabs of beef, he broke his back, which led to several months of recuperation.
It was then that his focus on horses increased, and he eventually began to offer riding lessons and rentals for trail riders. Many of the trails wound through the area now known as Quail Hollow where some of the current streets are named after original horse paths.
“In addition to teaching hundreds of Concord kids how to ride, he hosted legendary Fourth of July Horse Shows at his farm.” — Concord Township Recreation Director Debra Esker
From there, his business grew to include breeding, boarding, shoeing and related services.
LeRoy attributes the winsome name of his farm to his children. They often remarked that the distinctive markings on their handsome Appaloosa horses resembled popcorn. Thus, Cornpopper Farm was born.
Denise Marie, originally of Willoughby, has been LeRoy’s life partner since the early 1980s, working side by side with him to operate the business. In addition to horse-related duties, she assisted LeRoy with building an arena and several barns on the property, one of which contains boards brought in from an old farm in Euclid.
Marie recently noted that LeRoy taught her how to ride and that “horses are a wonderful way of life.” Reflecting on her partner’s strong community influence she said that he often meets people who bring up the fact that they rode at Cornpopper Farm while relaying their enjoyable experiences.
“Over the past 60 years, several hundred children and adults participated in all activities of the farm operations benefitting from Dave’s knowledge,” she said.