The Morden Corn and Apple Festival isn’t only the biggest event of the year in the southern Manitoba city — it’s the province’s largest street party, drawing visitors from across the region for fun, entertainment and — of course — free corn.
“Not only does the City of Morden get excited, but the entire province gets excited for this annual event,” executive director Courtney Wall told Global Winnipeg.
“On Monday, you already could feel the buzz in the air, the public started getting excited. (Visitors) come from sometimes all over Canada.
“I have had inquiries from all over the country, from the U.S. as well, because we’re close to the border. Everybody gets excited about it.”
The event includes a farmer’s market, local artisans and vendors, a midway, kids’ activities and live music — this year featuring Juno-nominated country singer Chad Brownlee, alt-rock tribute act Big Shiny ’90s, and local punks Monochromatics.
Not to mention the big draw, the free corn, “Usually, Friday is our local day, so there’s not as many people,” said the festival’s free corn committee chair, Craig Geake.
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“Saturday and Sunday, I would find, is the day there’s lineups … two blocks down, pretty much from when we start, right until the end.
“People expect to come get a good cob of corn, and they’ll wait in line for a really long time to get it.”
The annual event, Geake said, has a double purpose — it allows Morden residents to show off their community to throngs of visitors, but it’s also a chance for people already in the city to reconnect.
“Corn and Apple is a time of year when people can come out and see people they haven’t seen for a while and get to just hang out with people and just take part in the community, and what Morden’s all about.
“I think when the (festival) happens, the volunteers really come out in droves, and we get together to show off our community.”
The goal of the entire event, Wall said, is a simple one.
“We’re just happy to see the smiles on people’s faces.”
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