The Annual Shippensburg Corn Festival is held, the last Saturday in August, rain or shine. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, has been 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.
Hours:
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Directions:
The Shippensburg Corn Festival is easily reached off Exits 24 or 29 of I-81 (old Exits 9 or 10).
Address:
P. O. Box 704, Shippensburg, PA 17257
Other:
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.
