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 That
is the challenge faced by the 1000 volunteers needed for the annual
Zellwood Sweet Corn Festival, held during Memorial Day weekend in May. A
tradition for over 30 years, thousands of visitors pour into Zellwood
for arts and crafts, live music, amusement rides, and, of course, the
flavor of locally grown sweet corn. There is also a bike and car show
for riding enthusiasts.
The job of preparing the corn begins a few
days before opening day, when area volunteers begin to husk the corn.
 The
corn is then held in refrigerated trucks until it is cooked by the
Fraternal Order of Eagles in a special cooker called "Big Bertha" - it
can cook three ears of corn per second, or 10,000 ears per hour. The
corn is then buttered and distributed with the help of the Talako Indian
Dancers and Boy Scout Troop #639.
The list of entertainers included Mark
Farner, leader of the 1970s band "Grand Funk Railroad." Andy Griggs
performed on Saturday evening, and various bands filled the rolling
hills with great foot-stomping music. On Saturday, there was a
corn-eating contest, and on Sunday afternoon, a
corn-shucking contest was held.
The
Northwest Orange County I mprovement
Assoc. brings this event to Zellwood, and donates most of the profits to
local charities. The corn is provided by Scotts and Long Farms of
Zellwood. The farm has 1200 farming acres, which includes about 80 acres
reserved for the growth of sweet corn.
The Zellwood Sweet Corn Festival has all the
ingredients needed for a successful event - a variety of foods, plenty
of entertainment, rides for the kids, arts and crafts for Mom, bikes and
cars for Dad, and, being a corn festival, all the sweet corn you can
eat. It is only one of the many festivals that entertain both residents
and visitors to Central Florida.
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