The Tea Party is the Saturday night headliner this year at the 37th annual Tecumseh Corn Festival.

The Aug. 25 concert will be the Windsor band’s first appearance at the festival, which takes place in Lacasse Park, Tecumseh, August 23 to 26.

April Wine will be the Friday night headliner on Aug. 24. Other attractions on the outdoor stage will be announced later.

Along with plenty of hot, buttered corn and other food vendors, the festival offers a carnival midway, local arts and crafts booths, and events aimed at seniors and families.

For more details, go online to tecumsehcornfestival.ca.

Tecumseh Corn Festival tickets and passes are on sale. The festival is Aug. 23 to 26 and will have hot buttered corn, live entertainment, arts and crafts, food booths, a carnival midway and contests. The Tea Party is the headline band on Saturday.

Seniors and children 12 and younger are free. Tickets are $2 on Thursday and Sunday and $5 on Friday and Saturday. A weekend pass is $10. Tickets are available at the Tecumseh arena at 12021 McNorton Street.

The sun seems to lower itself much quicker these days but according to the calendar, there is still one month left of warm weather and much to do. Enjoy summer while it’s still here!

Art By The River: Do you love art? Join more than 150 artists and artisans on Saturday, Aug. 24, and Sunday, Aug. 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Fort Malden National Historic Site, 100 Laird Ave., in Amherstburg. Gibson Gallery presents Essex County’s original arts and crafts festival. All art is juried and handmade by the artists. Admission is $5. Free admission for children 12 and under. Call 519-736-2826. Visit gibsonartgallery.com.

Car show: On Sunday, Aug. 25, the G. Caboto Club hosts its second annual car show presenting Italian, European and classic models, hot rods and more from local dealers. A pit stop demonstration will be a first. Enjoy wood-fired pizza and buffet, and gelato, accompanied by a live DJ. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Caboto Club, 2175 Parent Ave. Call 519-252-8383.

Celebration Choral Concert: The 75-voice youth choir of Summer Music Day Camp 2013 presents an evening of inspirational gospel music during this choral concert on Friday, Aug. 23, at 7:15 p.m. at All Saint’s Church, 330 City Hall Square. Suggested donations are $10 for adults or $20 per family. Call 519-253-8001. Visit SummerMusicDayCamp.ca.

Classic rock: The Greater Windsor Concert Band under the direction of Ric Moor performs classic rock on Sunday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. at Reaume Park, Riverside Dr. E. at Pillette Rd. Call 519-977-3375. Visit greaterwindsorconcertband.ca.

Dale Butler & Friends: The Two Creeks Summer Concert Series presents Dale Butler and Friends performing bluegrass, country, gospel and folk music, on Sunday, Aug. 25, at 6:30 p.m. on the Weil Stage at Two Creeks Conservation Area, north of Wheatley on Kent Rd. 1. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Call 519-324-6988. Visit twocreeks.ca.

Arctic: Vancouver band Arctic performs on Thursday, Aug. 22, at Phog Lounge, 157 University Ave. W. Also Thursday, special guest Windsor musician Sasha Appler brings her electro-acoustic and experimental pop to the Phog stage. Then Vancouver bands The Ketamines play along with Tough Age, on Saturday, Aug. 24, with special guest Windsor guitarist Paul Jacobs. Call 519-253-1605. Visit phoglounge.com.

Speakeasy Quartet: The Speakeasy Quartet perform vintage-style hot jazz, swing and pop during a winery event on Sunday, Aug. 25, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery, 7258 County Rd. 50, west of Harrow. Advance tickets are $15 or $20 at the door. Picnic basket lunches are available for $25. Winery tours are available at 1 p.m. To reserve with ticket purchase, call 519-738-9253. Visit sprucewoodshores.com.

Tecumseh Corn Festival: The 38th annual event features a classic car show, parade, Miss Tecumseh Pageant, and yummy-tasting corn from Thursday, Aug. 22, through Sunday, Aug. 25, at Lacasse Park in Tecumseh. Enjoy live entertainment from Shawn Desman on Friday night at 9 p.m. and Ottawa country singer Kira Isabella on Saturday night at 9 p.m. Admission is $2 daily. Free admission for seniors 65 and over and children 12 and under. Call 519-735-2184. Visit tecumseh.ca.

Windsor Ribfest: This is the second year for this event and will feature 10 ribbers battling for awards, 100 exhibitors throughout the park and  music on the new bandshell.  Three-quarters of the event is licensed for beer, wine and coolers.  The non-licensed area will feature a children”s stage and amusement rides.  Admission is free. At riverfront plaza on August 22-25.  11am to12 midnight. Visit the websitefor more info.

jrevin@windsorstar.com

Hundreds of cobs of fresh corn were enjoyed at the Tecumseh Corn Festival in Lacasse Park the weekend of Aug. 22 to 25, 2013. There also were events for everyone from kids to adults with entertainment and rides.

Operator Chris MacDonald grabs a prize for a winner at the Court Guns booth at Tecumseh’s Corn Festival in Lacasse Park Saturday, August 24, 2013. (JOEL BOYCE/The Windsor Star)

Mike Lambropoulos, left, his wife Meaghan Lambropoulos and Jake Novakowski, compete for the best shot at the Court Guns booth at Tecumseh’s Corn Festival in Lacasse Park Saturday, August 24, 2013. (JOEL BOYCE/The Windsor Star)

Mike Lambropoulos, left, his wife Meaghan Lambropoulos and Jake Novakowski, compete for the best shot at the Court Guns booth at Tecumseh’s Corn Festival in Lacasse Park Saturday, August 24, 2013. (JOEL BOYCE/The Windsor Star)

Zach Papineau, 14, left, and Connory Janisse, 15, are ready to ride the Polar Express at Tecumseh’s Corn Festival in Lacasse Park Saturday, August 24, 2013. (JOEL BOYCE/The Windsor Star)

Carly Lamoureux, 5, plays in the Raiders playground at Tecumseh’s Corn Festival in Lacasse Park Saturday, August 24, 2013. (JOEL BOYCE/The Windsor Star)

Pulp City Inn’s lead singer Justin Zaccato sings to the crowd at Tecumseh’s Corn Festival in Lacasse Park Saturday, August 24, 2013. (JOEL BOYCE/The Windsor Star)

The Kettle Corn Guys owner Jeff Gamble stirs a hot batch of caramel corn at the Tecumseh’s Corn Festival in Lacasse Park Saturday, August 24, 2013. (JOEL BOYCE/The Windsor Star)

Matteo Lopes, 5, enjoys the fresh corn at Tecumseh’s Corn Festival in Lacasse Park Saturday, August 24, 2013. (JOEL BOYCE/The Windsor Star)

A contemporary oratorio in Middle English will pose a special challenge Wednesday for the Windsor Symphony Chorus.

The work by University of Windsor graduate Allan Bevan, Nou Goth Sonne Under Wode, is in part based on poems from the 13th century which predate Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

The 30-minute work will take up the entire second half of the Wednesday, April 16, WSO Chorus Concert at Assumption University Chapel, directed by Joel Tranquilla. Bevan, 62, and fellow Canadian composer Quenten Doolittle, 88, will be in attendance.

Nou Goth Sonne Under Wode (Now Goes the Sun under the Wood) is the second of five passages set to music in the oratorio, which also uses Latin text and biblical passages from the Book of Psalms. There is a narrator, as well, which will feature CBC Windsor’s Bob Steele.

“The work plays on the mother-son relationship of Mary and Jesus during the Passion,” said Bevan.

The work was much longer in its original conception and began life as Bevan’s doctoral dissertation at the University of Calgary. It received its first performance in 2005 in Edmonton in the shortened version to be performed here.

In 2008, it was singled out as the outstanding choral work at the biennial convention of the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors.

Another work on Wednesday’s program, Bevan’s To Morning, is an instrumental version of an original choral setting of a William Blake poem.

“That one has a long history,” Bevan said. “It goes back to my days at the University of Windsor when I had a composition class with Paul McIntyre.”

Bevan reconfigured it as an instrumental work and submitted it to a competition in Russia in 2006 commemorating the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth. It won the Member’s Prize.

“Dr. McIntyre and I were talking a lot about Schubert’s songs, and that was the immediate inspiration for it.”

Bevan was born in Toronto, but moved to Windsor at the age of seven. He studied at both the University of Windsor and Queen’s University before going on to postgraduate studies at the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary.

Currently, he divides his time between composing and acting as the music director and organist at Rosedale Presbyterian Church in Toronto. He will accompany both his works on organ.

The work by Doolittle, Elegy, is a setting of a poem by Emily Dickinson, dedicated to his daughter who has ALS.

Tickets for the concert Wednesday at 8 p.m., titled Toward Eternity, are $20 for adults, $10 for students at the Capitol Theatre box office or by calling 519-973-1238.

Bread documentary a finalist

A documentary about the demise of a Toronto bakery, Ontario Bread, by St. Clair Beach native Jim Bachalo is in the running for a prize in TVOntario’s Doc Studio Short Documentary Contest.

Ontario Bread, A Tribute looks at the closing last June of Canada’s largest Polish bread maker. It examines how the operation was a source of pride in the ethnic community in downtown Toronto for more than 80 years.

You can watch the film and vote on it at TVO’s website, tvo.org. The winning film from among five finalists will be announced Thursday, April 17.

Bachalo now lives in Toronto.

National Poetry Month at Biblioasis

Biblioasis, 1520 Wyandotte St. E., continues its celebration of National Poetry Month on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. with readings by Windsor’s Dani Couture, Essex County’s Marc Di Saverio and 2010 Governor General’s Award winner Richard Greene.

The authors will also sign their books at the event. For more details go to biblioasis.com.

Down With Webster in Tecumseh

Alternative rockers Down With Webster and Rockstar: INXS winner Suzie McNeil will be the headliners at this summer’s Tecumseh Corn Festival, Aug. 22-23.

The 39th annual festival at Tecumseh’s Lacasse Park runs Aug. 21-24. More details can be found at the website, tecumsehcornfestival.ca.

tshaw@windsorstar.com

These next few days will be perfect for outdoor lounging and taking in the sights at Fort Malden. Sip on sangria or enjoy a picnic lunch. There’s hot jazz, corn on the cob and art by the river coming up. Oh, the choices…

Art By The River: The Gibson Gallery presents more than 150 artists and artisans as they share their work during the arts and crafts festival, Saturday, Aug. 23 and Sunday, Aug. 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Browse before you buy. All art is personally handmade by the artists. The juried art show will be on the grounds of Fort Malden National Historic Site, 100 Laird Ave. S., Amherstburg. Admission is $5. Free admission to children 12 and under. Call 519-736-2826. Visit gibsonartgallery.com.

Dale Butler & Friends: The Two Creeks Summer Concert Series presents Dale Butler and Friends playing a variety of country and folk music, on Sunday, Aug. 24, at 6:30 p.m. on the Weil Stage at Two Creeks Conservation Area, north of Wheatley on Kent Rd. 1. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Call 519-324-6988. Visit twocreeks.ca.

Harrow Fair: The Colchester South and Harrow Agricultural Society presents the 160th Harrow Fair from Thursday, Aug. 28 to Sunday, Aug. 31. Featuring a pie and cookie eating contest on Friday at 7 p.m., pie auction, teddy bear parade, roller pigeon contest, pedal tractor pull and more. Hear live entertainment: On Thursday at 8 p.m. Stay Tuned; On Friday at 8 p.m. Aaron Pritchett; On Saturday, Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. The Stellas. Admission is $7 for adults, free for children 12 and under. Weekend passes are $15. Call 519-738-3262. Visit harrowfair.com.

Speakeasy Quartet: The Speakeasy Quartet performs vintage style hot jazz and 1920s and 1930s swing during a winery event, Sunday, Aug. 24, from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery, 7258 County Rd. 50 W., Harrow. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $16 or $20 at the door. Picnic basket lunches are available for $26. To reserve with ticket purchase, call 519-738-9253. Tickets are available at Mackenzie Hall, 3277 Sandwich St. Visit sprucewoodshores.com.

Spice Boys: Phog Lounge welcomes Windsor’s Spice Boys to the stage, Friday, Aug. 22, at 10 p.m. at Phog Lounge, 157 University Ave. W. Also, two special acts from Detroit are Mountains and Rainbows, and Great Aunt Ida. Call 519-253-1605. Visit phoglounge.com.

Tecumseh Corn Festival: The 39th annual Tecumseh Corn Festival begins Thursday, Aug. 21 through Sunday, Aug. 24 at Lacasse Park in Tecumseh. Featuring many interactive family activities, Miss Tecumseh pageant, classic car show, bingo, scavenger hunt, carnival rides and more. The Largest Small Town Parade is Saturday, Aug. 23 at 11 a.m. beginning at the intersection of Lesperance Road and McNorton Street. Enjoy live music everyday featuring on Thursday, Jillian Robinson and Mathias Renaud at 4:30 p.m., Erika Banks and Allesandro Rotondi at 5 p.m., Glen McNeil at 5:30 p.m. and Ciao at 9 p.m. On Friday, Drum Circle at 1 p.m.; Elvis tribute artist at 2:30 p.m. and headliner Down With Webster, Red Legacy and Jackson Jill beginning at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Bigg Wiggle at 10:30 p.m. and headliners Suzie McNeil, Drop Dead Famous and Big Sexy Band at 7 p.m. Admission is $2 general. Call 519-735-2184. Visit tecumsehcornfestival.ca.

Weee Want the Funk!: The Dominion House Tavern presents Motown soul music from Marcellus Wallace and The Funk Junkies, Saturday, Aug. 23 at 9 p.m. at Dominion House, 3140 Sandwich St. Cover is $5. Call 519-971-7400. Visit thedominionhouse.ca.

jrevin@windsorstar.com

Wayne Mayor, left, and Jean Marc Roy hoist a basket of steaming corn at Bert Lacasse Park Thursday at the opening of the Tecumseh Corn Festival on Aug. 21, 1980.

The festival got off to a wet start Thursday night but the sponsoring Kinsmen Club hopes to serve about 40,000 ears of corn by the end of the weekend.

A parade Saturday starts at 11 a.m., to be followed by a firefighters’ water barel fight. A horse show and bed race will be held Sunday, the final day of the event.

Tecumseh plans to get out of the festival business.

After spending approximately $121,000 last year on two town festivals – the Tecumseh Corn Festival and the Art of Eating – council has decided those tax dollars can be better spent on service delivery.

Mayor Gary McNamara said it has become more and more difficult at budget time to do all the municipality needs to do while keeping tax increases to a minimum.

“We need to continue to provide core services to the municipality and festivals, according to council, it’s not really a core service,” McNamara said.

To put it in perspective, he said the town spends about $69,000 annually on sidewalk rehabilitation, about two-thirds of the amount spent on festivals.

“I do believe that we need to concentrate on the core servicing of our municipality, like picking up garbage … pot hole repairs and … snow removal, etc.,” he said.

Earlier this week, the 2015 budget was approved by town council as proposed with a .8 per cent municipal tax rate increase.

“On the municipal side, it equates to a $5.78 cent increase to a home valued at $200,000,” he said, attributing about two-thirds of the increase to salaries and benefits.

With the draft county budget listed at 1.59 per cent and the education rate expected to remain the same as last year, McNamara said the overall blended rate increase for Tecumseh is estimated at .27 per cent.

Roughly $12.5 million has been earmarked for public works projects, for things like roads, bridges, sanitary systems and other capital improvements.

The transition from festival involvement is not expected to happen overnight.

“What we’re doing is reducing the amount of involvement at the political level on the board itself to start with and basically looking at the chairs and vice-chairs of the festival being actually community lay people,” McNamara said. “We want to find ways where there’s more sponsorship dollars that are coming in versus less tax dollars to subsidize it.”

McNamara acknowledged that festivals are “good things, nice things to have, absolutely.

“But the costs are going up and the subsidies keep going up so what we want to do is basically encourage the community partners to take more of a role in delivering the (corn) festival because they’re the real benefactors,” he said. “A big chunk of (local service club’s) fundraising capabilities are made up during that four-day event, so it’s important that they get involved as well, take some responsibility in terms of making sure that the festival’s future is sustainable.”

Cheryl Hardcastle, last year’s Corn Festival chairwoman and the town’s former deputy mayor, said it will be tough for service clubs to take over for the town.

“Service clubs are already evolving and … they’re having to find a new way to do things … they’re already having to regroup and re-form and find new purpose,” Hardcastle said. “There’s a different culture now.

“So we will have to support it big time. We’ll have to support it as a community because we won’t want to see it fall,” she said. “But does that mean maybe it will be more community-oriented again? Will you get name entertainment? Will you have as much attraction?”

Hardcastle said issues like liability and hooking up to utilities or pitching tents would be very difficult for service clubs to manage without continuing support from the municipality.

“And the volunteer base … it’s very hard to find volunteers that will put in a 12-hour day, four days for the whole weekend,” she said. “There are challenges to it but I think it can be done.”

As for the Art of Eating, McNamara said the Business Improvement Area (BIA) should be the sponsor.

“It’s an opportunity for the BIA to raise dollars that can in turn help deliver either enhancements to the downtown commercial core (or) help the businesses that they actually sponsor.”

jkotsis@windsorstar.com or Twitter @JulieKotsis

Thursday, Aug. 27

A view of the crowd at the Tecumseh Corn Festival in 2012. (Kristie Pearce / The Windsor Star)

Proud to be corny

The end of summer approaches. It’s time for the region’s annual a-maizing celebration — the Tecumseh Corn Festival. Now in its 40th edition, the event lasts from Thursday to Sunday, featuring midway rides, food vendors, live music, a parade, a corn maze, a corn-eating contest, a classic car show, the Miss Tecumseh beauty pageant, Nibby the mascot, and much more.

Look! It’s Nibby – mascot of the annual Tecumseh Corn Festival.

It all happens in and around Lacasse Park in Tecumseh. General admission is $3 per day. Children 12 and under and seniors 65 and over get in free. Licensed area has a $5 cover.

The midway rides open 3 p.m. Thursday and at noon on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

See the beauty pageant on Thursday at 7 p.m. See the parade on Saturday at 11 a.m. on Lesperance Road between McNorton Street and Tecumseh Road. See the car show on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

Friday’s music starts 6 p.m. featuring AC/DC-inspired Windsor hard rock band Bad Habit, LaSalle guitar whiz Christian Vegh, and B.C. power pop group These Kids Wear Crowns as headliners.

Saturday’s music starts 4 p.m. featuring Windsor jazz-funk band Six Degrees, Windsor soul band Black Orchid, cover band Stiletto Fire, and 22-year-old Brampton pop singer Alyssa Reid as the headliner.

Get more information and the full schedule at www.tecumsehcornfestival.ca.

On left: B.C. power pop band These Kids Wear Crowns. On right: Brampton pop singer Alyssa Reid.

Friday, Aug. 28

Detroit duo Nigel & The Dropout.

The new sound of the Motor City

Detroit electro-rock duo Nigel & The Dropout bring their choppy, strangely danceable beatscapes to Windsor on Friday at Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. W.). Opening will be nine-piece Ottawa-based synth-infused indie rock band Loon Choir. Music starts around 10 p.m., expect a cover, 19 and over only.

Read ’em and weep

Now comfortably ensconced in its new location, the Walkerville Artists’ Co-op (1974 Wyandotte St. E.) revels in the written word on Friday with readings and a book fair. Takes place 7 to 9 p.m., featuring recitations by seven poets and authors, all of whose books will be available for purchase. Go to walkervilleartistsco-op.com for more information.

Windsor Christian music group 2Fish: Kevin Rogers (left) and Kevin Saunders (right).

Rock for Christ and a good cause

There’ll be positive Jesus vibes aplenty when Central United Church (628 Ouellette Ave.) hosts Christian music group 2Fish on Friday night in downtown Windsor. Admission is $10, with all proceeds going to the Downtown Music Initiative. Started in 2013, the initiative offers free music lessons to the kids of low income households. Show starts 7 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 29

Hip hop still lives in Windsor

It’s a full day of rap music and its culture on Saturday at Atkinson Park (1981 Riverside Dr. W.) when Windsor’s hip hop scene gathers for its first annual family-friendly outdoor festival. There’ll be live performances by more than a dozen DJs and MCs, including Choc Ty, Kayyce Closed, Needle 914, 2AT, and other peeps who have been holding it down locally for years. There’ll also be displays of beatboxing, breakdancing, turntablism, and even a graffiti art demonstration.

Members of Windsor’s Society for Hip-hop Innovation, Excellence, Leadership and Development (SHIELD).

Happens 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Attendance is free. Presented by Friends of Atkinson Park and the Society for Hip-hop Innovation, Excellence, Leadership and Development. Call 1-877-563-9982 for more info.

But the celebration doesn’t end at the park. Take it back to the old school on Saturday night with the official after-party at the Windsor Beer Exchange (493 University Ave. W.). Throw your hands in the air and wave them like you just don’t care, because nothing but hip hop classics will be spun. $5 cover, 19 and older only.

Reggae on the river

Wanna get dutty while wearing white? Party on a boat Caribbean style on Saturday night with the White On the River cruise. Presented by Fuji 1 and Unbeweavable Hair Salon, the event has an all-white dress code and will feature reggae, dancehall, soca, and other sounds of the islands.

Tickets are $40. Cost includes food, and there’ll be a cash bar. Boarding time is 8:30 p.m. sharp at the Riverfront Festival Plaza, departure time 9 p.m., returns to the riverfront at midnight. 19 and older only. Call 519-551-8114 for more info.

Sunday, Aug. 30

Iconic Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. From left: Frank Beard, Billy Gibbons, and Dusty Hill.

Sharp dressed men

Blues-rock legends ZZ Top will be in town for a show on Sunday night at Caesars Windsor (377 Riverside Dr. E.). It’s been 46 years since this Texas trio formed, and they show no signs of stopping. Expect ripping renditions of all their hits: La Grange, Tush, Legs, Gimme All Your Lovin’, and more.

Atlanta-based Southern-fried rock quintet Blackberry Smoke will open. Show starts 8 p.m., 19 and older only. Prices of remaining tickets start at $75, available via caesarswindsor.com, ticketmaster.ca, or the casino’s box office.

Tuesday, Sept. 1

Some examples of the work of Windsor tattoo artist Dave Kant.

Drawn and quartered

Like to sketch and doodle? The Arts Council of Windsor & Region invites you to an evening of open drawing, hosted by local tattoo artist Dave Kant of Advanced Tattoo and Piercing. Bring your own materials — pens, pencils, and paper — and get some inspiration from Kant’s flash collection.

Happens next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Artspeak Gallery (1942 Wyandotte St. E.). Attendance is free. Visit acwr.net for more information.

dchen@windsorstar.com

www.twitter.com/WinStarChen

Windsor-Essex events are among the many receiving annual praise and accolades from the non-profit association Festivals and Events Ontario.

Windsor’s Carrousel of Nations, the LaSalle Strawberry Festival, and the Tecumseh Corn Festival are all listed among the Top 100 festivals and events in the province over the past year, as decided by FEO.

The association said its list is meant to recognize festivals and events “that excel within the industry.”

“Festivals and events create jobs and bring Ontario communities together to celebrate our heritage and diversity,” said Ontario’s minister of tourism, culture and sport Eleanor McMahon.

An independent panel of judges came up with the list after receiving submissions from FEO members last fall. The list represents a wide range of festivals and events — from community gatherings to large, internationally advertised extravaganzas.

Along with the placement of three Windsor-Essex events in the Top 100, FEO also had good things to say about Art in the Park.

Organized by the Rotary Club of Windsor (1918) and taking place at Willistead Park, the annual summer art celebration is being lauded by FEO for having the best promotional campaign among events with budgets less than $500,000 but greater than $100,000.

“These awards, handed out to FEO members, showcase various elements of festivals or events that those submitting believe stood out in the previous festival year,” FEO stated in a release.

dchen@postmedia.com

Folk dancers entertain the crowd at the Greek Village during Windsor’s Carrousel of Nations in June 2016.

Thousands of people crowd Windsor’s Willistead Park for Art in the Park in June 2016.

Had a shucky week? Ready for an a-maize-ing time? Think of all the corny puns you’ll be popping at the Tecumseh Corn Festival — happening this Thursday to Sunday.

An end-of-summer tradition, Tecumseh’s annual gathering of food, fun, and family returns to Lacasse Park for a 42nd year. Here are some kernels of info about the grainy good times this weekend:

• Carter Shows midway rides can be enjoyed on all four days of the festival. Purchase a bracelet for $30 and get unlimited rides for one day.

• Whether you’re hungry, thirsty, or want to buy a souvenir, more than three dozen vendors at the festival will give you plenty of reasons to open your wallets — from fajitas and pizza to bubble tea and dairy treats.

• A new Miss Tecumseh will be crowned at the festival. The pageant is Thursday at 7 p.m., and will end with current Miss Tecumseh Maria Giorlando passing her title to the next winning contestant.

• Thursday night is outdoor movie night at the festival. The family fantasy movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (rated PG-13) will be screened at 9 p.m.

Scenes from the Tecumseh Corn Festival, including Miss Tecumseh 2016 Maria Giorlando, top right

• It wouldn’t be the Corn Festival without live music. Friday night, the Bonduelle Stage boasts a five-hour country music lineup starting 5 p.m., featuring Country Justice, Stevie Jewel, and Buck Twenty. On Saturday night, it’s Brass Transit — a tribute to the band Chicago, starting 9 p.m. And on Sunday afternoon, the stage welcomes Eagles tribute band Hotel California, starting 2:30 p.m.

• Clear the roads on Saturday for the Tecumseh Corn Festival parade, starting 11 a.m. on Lesperance Road at McNorton Street. The parade will follow a U-shaped route along Tecumseh Road to finish at Lacasse Park. Spectators are encouraged to bring a canned food item for donation to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, who will be collecting along the route.

• Automobile aficionados will be arriving in their best rides on Sunday for the Classic Car Show, noon to 4 p.m.

• Children’s activities throughout the festival include a corn maze, mini-golf, “corny games,” colouring contests, and corn-eating contests on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday starting 5 p.m. at the corn booth.

• Nibby the Corncob, the festival’s official mascot since the 1970s, will be present on various occasions in all her eight-foot-tall glory.

• The Tecumseh Corn Festival has regularly been included on the Top 100 list of Festivals & Events Ontario — making it a festival that’s truly out standing in its field.

Scenes from the Tecumseh Corn Festival

The 42nd annual Tecumseh Corn Festival is this Thursday to Sunday at Lacasse Park (590 Lacasse Blvd). Admission is $3 per person per day, cash only. Kids 12 and under get in free. Seniors get in free on Friday.

Festival hours are Thursday 3 p.m. to 1 a.m., Friday noon to 1 a.m., Saturday noon to 1 a.m., Sunday noon to 7 p.m.

Note that all entrants may be subject to bag searches by OPP officers.

Admission to the Knights of Columbus licensed drinking tent costs an additional $5, proof of age required.

Parking at Lacasse Park costs $5 per vehicle. 

For more information, including a complete event schedule, visit www.tecumseh.ca.

Hot corn on the cob, ready for consumption at the Tecumseh Corn Festival, is seen in this 2016 photo.

Marlayna Aguilar, 7, chomps on a corn cob at the Tecumseh Corn Festival in this 2016 file photo.

Visitors to the annual end-of-summer Tecumseh Corn Festival will no longer be able to enjoy an alcoholic beverage now that the town has taken over the event.

Kerri Rice, manager of recreation programs and events, said council has dismantled a formal committee of council and made the popular festival a program run through the parks and recreation department.

Major changes to the 2018 festival include reducing it to a three-day event from a four-day event and no longer including a beer tent.

“The town wanted to reduce some of the risk associated with community events and anytime you have alcohol involved in an event the risk and liability certainly is increased,” Rice said.

“Our colleagues in the Town of LaSalle did that a few years ago with the Strawberry Fest and said from their perspective it really didn’t have any negative impact,” she said. “I think that helped in terms of council’s decision.”

The beer tent had been run by members of the local Knights of Columbus, but Rice said they gave notice early in 2017 that they would no longer operate it.

This year’s festival attracted 34,000 visitors. 

With the Thursday start eliminated in 2018, the festival is scheduled for Aug. 24 to Aug. 25.

Rice said most of the corn fest’s traditional events, including the Miss Tecumseh pageant that was held on Thursday evening, the parade, senior’s day, family day, will still be included.

Planning continues and a budget is being prepared that takes into consideration the loss of income from the beer tent and the new three-day format. Council will begin budget deliberations for the entire municipality in November.

jkotsis@postmedia.com

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