Elotes, pro wrestling, clowns and acrobats — the Sweet Corn Circus had it all.
This past weekend, Bloomington-Normal hosted its annual Sweet Corn Festival to celebrate its agricultural roots. More than 100 vendors attended the festival to sell a variety of food and goods to visiting families and students in attendance.
Full performances and acts from Illinois State University's Gamma Phi Circus entertained the crowd every hour of both days. Circus member Keilani Haddon said the event was “perfect for members to get to know each other better.”
“It’s been a lot of bonding because we spend a lot of hours with each other… It’s actually really nice, we get to talk to people we don’t usually talk to, and it’s really fun to walk around with everyone and spend money,” Haddon said.
Haddon emphasized the success of this year’s festival.
“The turnout has been super great [for our show]. The lower level is always filled, people go in the grass, on the stairs and even in the balcony now,” Haddon said. “We have a completely full audience … It’s so lovely.”
Gamma Phi Circus member McKinley Cwikla said she loved seeing people excited to watch the show.
“[We] don’t realize how many people support us in the community until we see them all come together,” Cwikla said. “I never would’ve expected the [number] of people that have come, especially because we have multiple shows and we’re doing stuff we already did, but people still want to see it.”
Attendee Montana White enjoyed watching one of the Gamma Phi Circus.
“From what I could see, [the circus] was really interesting and cool. This is definitely a cute area where you can see portions of what the ISU circus is doing,” White said.
While White liked the show, she felt that there was not enough space for the number of people and vendors at the festival.
“I definitely feel like there should be a lot more activities and maybe more availability for space, it is pretty tight,” White said.
At 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, the Uptown Circle was packed for the Iron Spirit Pro Wrestling event. The crowds watched professional wrestlers “knock out” one another to victory.
Noah Hutton and his family watched the showdown and said it was very entertaining – a younger Hutton said his most comical character was “Good Boy.”
“The dog [barking] in the middle of Good Boy’s match was great,” the family said as they recalled the mutual barking competition between the wrestler and the dog in the crowd.
With the crowds drawn in by the circus and wrestling, many vendors were pleased with the foot traffic. Bags by Brenda, C.E.O. Brenda Teske crafted cross-body bags, purses, backpacks and a variety of accessories for visitors to purchase as they made their way through the crowd.
“I enjoy making them, and I knew I could only give away so many, so I started a business with them,” Teske said.
The Bloomington Bison hockey team set up a booth that contained a shooting board for visitors to test their skills and learn more about upcoming events. Director of Community Relations and Partnership Fulfillment Maddie Keefe explained why the team loved attending the festival.
“It's been great growing a hockey community here. We have a small, tight-knit group of fans that know us by name, which is really fun,” Keefe said.
“In addition to meeting all of the people who travel from here, it's been nice [meeting] new people and showing them what the Bison are all about.”
The festival concluded at 4 p.m. on Sunday — a preview of fall in the air dropped to mid-60 temperatures.
