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28th Annual Shippensburg Corn Festival
August
30th, 2008 from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
WHAT
The 28th Annual Shippensburg
Corn Festival will be held, rain or shine, Saturday, August 30, 2008, 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 (old Exits 9 or 10).
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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