On the sunny evening of May 31, volunteers from Crossroads Chamber of Commerce kicked off the first day of the 2024 Corn Roast celebration. Residents from Crown Point and its neighboring towns gathered at Bulldog Park to participate in this 46-year-old celebration. This year’s event featured over 20 food trucks and stands, bounce houses, a beer garden with a wide variety of alcoholic beverages on tap, and, of course, plenty of corn.
The event’s sponsors included Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana as Entertainment Sponsor, Sparta Sports Dome and Liberty Siding & Window as Beer Garden Sponsors along with the Golden Ear Sponsors, BMO Bank, Centier Bank, Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters, CertaPro Painters of NWI, Chase Lowden Financial Advisor, Cleveland – Cliffs, Community Healthcare Systems, Crossroads YMCA, Crown Point Community Library, First Savings Bank of Hegewisch, Indiana Ballet Theatre, Kay Moriah International School of Beauty, Lakeshore Public Media, Lerner & Rowe Injury Attorneys, Members Source Credit Union, Methodist Hospitals, Old National Bank, Peoples Bank, PNC Bank, Puntillo & Crane Orthodontics, Purdue Federal Credit Union, REGIONAL Federal Credit Union, South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority, T Zone Men’s Testosterone Clinic, Proven IT, United Rentals Trench Safety, UnitedHealthcare, US 1364 Federal Credit Union, Zeller NWI Baths. Richard Day, Corn Roast Committee Co-Chair, believes that the Corn Roast is an important expression of Crown Point’s legacy.
“There's such great history here in Crown Point and this is a great way to celebrate it,” Day said. “Events like the Corn Roast really kick off the summer. It's a great fundraiser for Crossroads because we want to make sure that we're promoting small businesses in the community. I always want to help bring people together and raise money for the benefit of the community, so I'm blessed to be able to volunteer and help out here today. We’ve put a lot of work into this year’s Corn Roast and I am very pleased with how it’s turned out.”
Representatives from South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority (CVA), Crown Point Community Library, Indiana Ballet Theater, and several other organizations set up tables and provided passersby with informational materials. Bub’s Spuds, Tocayos, and All Soup’d Up BBQ were among the food trucks and stands that served up delicious meals for the attendees. Main Squeeze Lemonade, Kona Ice, and many other food trucks offered sweet treats that kept the attendees cool
“Hosting the Corn Roast at Bulldog Park is great!” Reed said. “It has really worked out for us because we were able to set up most of the food trucks in one spot, we have plenty of space for the beer garden, and we have a stage for the musical performances. As the director of special events, I enjoy being able to put on events like this for the community. It’s really great to see everyone enjoying themselves.”
The evening’s musical entertainment, which was sponsored by the Hard Rock Casino, was kicked off by Farmer Dan, who regaled the audience with a setlist of covers and original songs. His performance was followed by the Northwest Indiana-based variety band Mr. Funnyman. They performed covers of such classics tunes as Chicago’s “Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?,” Village People’s “YMCA,” Looking Glass’ “Brandy,” and Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” Many audience members enthusiastically sang along with the music while others danced in front of the stage. Day considers the Corn Roast to be more than just a celebration: it is also a much-needed opportunity for the attendees to simply enjoy one another’s company.
“Social media tends to keep us from interacting with others face-to-face,” Day said. “I enjoy bringing people out and seeing them engage with one another in person. It’s one thing to use social media to see what people are doing in their lives, but it’s another to actually hear it from them in personalized conversations. You get a warm feeling inside when you see people and interact with them. The Corn Roast is an excellent opportunity for people to have these conversations and that's what I really like about this event.”
The party doesn’t stop on Friday: be sure to come out to Bulldog Park on Saturday, June 1 for day two of Corn Roast 2024! The second day of the celebration will feature a corn eating contest as well as performances by DJ Dave Galt, Jack Cunningham, and the Crawpuppies.