Eden Corn Festival - Years Following

Years Following

Early on, the festival was a local event. The concessionaires were local, and Zabel Amusements from Derby provided the rides. In 1966, it was decided to enlarge the festival by having a bigger parade with more prizes. The attendance that year reached 2,500, and eventually, the parade drew marching units and groups from all over the United States and Canada. A man named Bill Edwards became the Chairman of the Eden Corn Festival in 1974, an since then, it has become a four-day event. On August 2, 1978, a Guinness Book World Record category for the most ears of corn eaten in five minutes was established, when Luis Pirada of Eden devoured 18 ears. Attendance this year reached 75,000, and by 1980, the project outgrew the Chamber's capabilities and they turned sponsorship over to the newly formed Eden Corn Festival, Inc., which consisted of members from various organizations in the town. Over the years, the physical ground of the festival was expanded, and by 1988 the Eden Volunteer Fire Department, which to this day sponsors the corn and french fry booths, was selling 45,000 ears of corn. By 1993, the parade had become too big and expensive and was almost canceled. The budget was reduced to $2,000–$3,000, when the cost of the 29th parade a year before had been $96,000. It was decided to scale down from the New York/Pennsylvania Parade and Judging Association's Championship that was filled with bands and floats from all over the Northeast to groups from Eden and Western New York. During this time, a craft show, car show, and talent show were added, along with more rides. The 30th annual corn festival of 1993 had 105,000 in attendance, and has averaged 200,000 people or more ever since. To this day, the Eden Corn Festival is held Thursday through Sunday during the first weekend in August, and inarguably remains the highlight of the year for the town's small population.