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31th Annual Shippensburg Corn
Festival August 27th, 2011 from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM NOTE: 2011
Craft and Food vendor applications are now available under "vendor forms"
PLEASE, NO PETS. PETS NOT PERMITTED ON FESTIVAL GROUNDS.
WHAT
The 31th Annual Shippensburg Corn Festival will be held, rain or shine,
Saturday, August 27, 2011, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, named as one of the
"Best Small Towns in America." The downtown main streets are closed to vehicular traffic and transformed into a huge street fair for the day. Crafts,
an antique car show, food booths, entertainment, and children’s activities offer something for everyone. There are more
than 300 crafts and antique vendors, selected by jury. Food booths feature corn in every available form. Entertainers
perform all day at three sites throughout the festival and there are a variety of strolling acts and demonstrations. All events
at the Festival are free, so bring the family for a day of fun. The Shippensburg Corn Festival is easily reached off Exits
24 or 29 of I-81.
PROJECTS
The Corn Festival, which was rated the best one-day festival in Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvania Festivals Association,
is presented by the Corn Festival Committee, a small group of dedicated volunteers. All the monies generated are returned
to the community for a variety of preservation and enhancement projects. Past Festivals have supported the Historic
District Survey; historic marker signs; sidewalk, fence, and lighting at the entrance to the municipal parking lot; downtown
period lighting; the restoration and landscaping of the Gazebo; iron wreath Christmas decorations; trees and flowers for downtown;
roof replacement of the oldest church in town; and preservation of the historic Dykeman’s Spring Hatch House. The Corn
Festival Committee also provides donations to the three local fire companies, the public library, and various local organizations.
HISTORY
The
original name of the Corn Festival Committee was the Shippensburg Heritage and Recreation Planning Society, or SHARPS. In
1979 a log house, believed to be the oldest structure in town, was razed to build the Sheetz store at the corner of King and
Queen streets. SHARPS was comprised of a group of local residents concerned with the alarming trend of destruction of many
of the oldest buildings in their historic community. The initial effort of the group focused on its "heritage" goal,
promoting awareness and preservation of Shippensburg’s rich architectural legacy that spans the 18th through 20th centuries.
Members and friends of SHARPS underwrote a survey by a preservation consultant in order to prepare a Historic District application
for the National Register of Historic Places. The cost of the survey was considerable and thus was born the Corn Festival
in 1981, as a fundraiser for SHARPS. The idea of a corn festival was chosen because corn was the area’s biggest crop.
MAKE IT A MINI
VACATION
The Corn Festival is just the beginning. The entire area surrounding Shippensburg, PA is beautiful
and abounds with Things to Do and a lot of places to see. The Gettysburg battlefield is only a short distance
away and there are many historic buildings in Shippensburg, Chambersburg and the surrounding towns and villages. Shippensburg
University is only a few blocks away and you go right past Dickinson College on your way to the Carlisle Fairgrounds. Harrisburg
is the Pennsylvania State Capital and is closely bounded by other beautiful and historic towns such as Mechanicsburg, Wormleysburg,
Enola, Marysville, Churchtown and Middleton. Pennsylvania is the fourth largest producer of wines in the United States
and there are now more than 65 wineries in Pennsylvania.
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