Eden Corn Fest — Our Jacktivity of the Week

The Eden Corn Fest is bittersweet. We love the corn, but it's the first sign that summer is almost over. Before you know it, it's Erie County Fair time, the Bills start playing football and then, bang!, it's over.

So much to pack in, and so little time. The Eden Corn Fest is one of  those events that you need to put on your summer bucket list (and this is the last summer on earth, so get it right). It's the 49th year of the festival, and this one is extra special because Eden is celebrating its 200th birthday (making it just a shade younger than Joan Rivers -- yeah, I went there).

So the midway opens at 5 p.m. today (Thursday, August 2), but more importantly, that's also when they start serving chicken barbecues and that sweet, sweet corn. Of course, we're hoping this summer's drought doesn't affect the taste; it's been a terrible year for farmers. I can't imagine they would serve anything but the best corn though because they have a great reputation to live up to. Prices may be affected, however, but let's hope the organizers keep it affordable despite rising costs. No matter -- I'll pay whatever they're asking.

The highlights of the Eden Corn Fest are the corn-schucking and corn-eating competitions, and those take place on Saturday starting at 2 p.m., but there are some other fun Jacktivities you should check out, like the battle of the bands tonight, tug of war competition tomorrow night (Friday, August 3), Saturday's crowning of the festival queen, and Sunday's auto show on the school grounds.

Oh, and make sure you go throw some things at the Jack van in the parade on Sunday; hopefully the rain will hold off long enough for it).