By MARIA KACIK

Staff Writer

LODI — Corn baking. Corn hole. Corn contests.

The annual Lodi Sweet Corn Festival centers on corn, but this year the sweet corn almost had to be trucked in.

Yvonne Sivard, who has planned the festival for the past three years, said only once in the festival’s 27 years did Lodi bring in corn from elsewhere. But Sivard explained this year came close to being the second time the corn would not be homegrown.

“It came down to the wire. It came down to getting it ready yesterday,” she said Thursday. “We thought we were going to have to go to auction and have the corn hauled in from somewhere else.”

Sivard said a Medina man was ready to go to produce auctions in Homer Township and Indiana to purchase corn to be hauled to Lodi.

“We weren’t sure with the weather this spring if the corn would be ready in time,” she said.

Mike Johnson (above) of Garfield Heights checks the time on a cauldron of boiling corn Thursday evening during the annual Lodi Sweet Corn Festival. David Teter (below) of Seville samples his third ear of corn during the event. Organizers said the sweet corn almost had to be trucked in but at the last minute they got the call the corn was ready. (Andrew Dolph | Staff Photographer)

But just a day before the start of the festival, Sivard said she got a call that let her release a sigh of relief.

Hall Growers Inc. at 9735 Garden Isle Road told her Wednesday the corn planted for the sweet corn festival was ready, and workers started to harvest the corn that morning.

“It was absolutely a relief to get that call,” Sivard said.

This year, Hall Growers supplied the festival with 4,200 ears, which are being sold for $1.50 apiece at the corn tent.

A pile of green mesh bags filled with corn lay against the tent Thursday night. Sivard pointed to it and said, “We’ll go through most of that tonight.”

Meanwhile, festivalgoers lined up to purchase their ears of corn.

“You have people coming in and getting like six to seven ears of corn at a time,” said Tristan Vanek, a volunteer staffing the corn tent. He said he can sell up to 150 ears at times in an hour.

“It’s the best when you run out. Then people start to get a little nervous,” said Vanek, who explained when they run out of cooked corn it only takes 12 minutes to make another batch.

Dean States of Litchfield Township walked nearly two miles to buy his first ear of corn at the festival Thursday. He said he and his family were lined up at village center, waiting for the parade to start, and had an hour to spare.

“I said, ‘I need some sweet corn,’ ” So States walked down to the festival on Wooster Street for the corn.

“It’s up to par,” he said after tasting it.

David Teter of Seville made multiple trips to the corn tent.

“I like corn. Can’t you tell,” he said with a laugh as he placed his hand on his belly.

Kacik may be reached at 330-721-4049 or mkacik@ohio.net.