Whether it was the music or the corn, thousands of people attended the festival, some arriving as early as 8 a.m.
Free corn, either boiled or roasted was provided for people’s eating pleasure, but some people decided to make a competition out of eating corn. Jason Harris, of Grand Junction, devoured 15 ears of corn to win the corn eating contest.
  
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“Go into the competition hungry,” Harris said.
Hopefully Harris was as the average ear of corn has 800 kernels and 150 calories, meaning he consumed 12,000 kernels and a whopping 2,250 calories.
Harris is now a two-time winner at the contest in which ten contestants are to eat as much maize as they can in the allotted amount of time and as the competition judge said, “Rules prohibit regurgitation.” This year the men were given seven minutes.
Women compete as well and they were given eight minutes. Harris’ wife, Debra, competed, finishing third with 11 ears of corn.
“Last year we competed after going on amazing diets and we weren’t sure if we should do it, but it didn’t faze us at all,” she said referring to the calories.
Saturday’s women’s competition ended in a tie at 12 ears a piece between Tori Riger of Hotchkiss and Salina Ritchie of Grand Junction.
Ritchie is an eight year veteran of the competition who has tied for first twice. “You just have to learn to swallow,” Ritchie said.
Event organizer Bobbi Sale said the corn eating contest is one of the most popular events of the festival.
Another popular event she said is the karaoke contest in which 60 contestants vied for musical honors. The top two from each of five sessions moved onto the finals, performing on the big stage. Coral Dietrich, 15, of Olathe has been singing since childhood and sang Christina Aguilera’s, “Beautiful” in one of the early sessions.
“I think I did pretty well; the best I could,” Dietrich said. “The crowds don’t really bother me; I just try not to think about it. I sing for myself.”
Dietrich is the daughter of local musician Donny Morales. She won a karaoke competition in Grand Junction last year and was confident she performed well enough to move onto the finals in Saturday’s competition.
Country music star, Clint Black, headlined the music Saturday night. Sale expected 10-12,000 people to be in attendance.
Looking at early estimates, Sale said the attendance numbers were good and noted that more people were coming to the festival from the Front Range.
“For a lot of people, this is a weekend trip,” Sale said. “It’s easy to come here on a Friday afternoon and leave Sunday evening.”
She said there were many people from Texas, Utah and Wyoming and the festival is a great boost to the economy.
“If you’re from out of the area, Olathe really has no amenities. Montrose has all the lodging and restaurants so people are staying there and eating out and it really improves the local economy,” Sale said.
As the event organizer, Sale runs around all day making sure everything is going smooth as planned. She has help though in the form of over 150 volunteers. There are only four paid staff employees for the coordination of the festival, so they hire non-profit groups to volunteer in ten different categories from serving the corn to setting up and taking down the stage.
“There’s no way we could take on a job this massive without the help of the volunteers,” Sale said. In addition to corn and music, the festival boasted over 150 vendor booths, 24 of them food. Sale said she had vendors from as far as Florida, Texas and New Mexico as well as from Utah and Wyoming.
By the end of the day, Sale said festival-goers were expected to have eaten 70,000 ears of corn.
chcikenman wrote on Aug 7, 2009 6:04 AM:
Garlic barrier, neem oil are a few organic pesticides that work well , and organic fertlizers are foliiarly applied.
Squash bugs are econtroled with diatomatous earth,there are effective alternatives available..Chickenman "
mtj citizen wrote on Aug 6, 2009 7:46 PM:
Chickenman wrote on Aug 5, 2009 5:32 PM:
These toxic chemicals remain in human tiissues and organs and can cause different cancers, birth defects and weakened immune systems.
Seriously...You may be fine now, really hope so, but think about what could happen over the years after these poisons accumulate, easier to avoid them and prevent than cure. Hows that so negative???
Chickenman....
...
. "
HaL wrote on Aug 5, 2009 3:10 PM:
Just saying seems your a little negative as well........ HAL "
Southside wrote on Aug 5, 2009 1:57 PM:
Sorry, I can't write in Spanish. "
Seriously wrote on Aug 5, 2009 6:45 AM:
tisk tisk wrote on Aug 4, 2009 12:52 PM:
HAL wrote on Aug 4, 2009 12:03 PM:
We must now more than ever question whats going on with what they tell us about a lot of things, chickenman seems to want to get us to think outside the box,agree or not, at least CMs planting a seed, and Iam glad at least someone stands up for what he believes in, thats what this countries about HAL
. "
Seriously wrote on Aug 4, 2009 6:52 AM:
Chickenman wrote on Aug 3, 2009 5:30 PM:
Its much more complicated and more expensive but in the long run will pay off.
Pests build up resistance to toxic chemicals. Monsanto constantly is improving their spray to adapt to the resistance from pests that build up tolerence to the toxic sprays, so more is used and stronger toxic sprays are devloped to be effective....Chickenman "
Chickenman wrote on Aug 3, 2009 5:15 PM:
In the late 50s DDT was one of the more effective pesticides for corn worm control, we found out about that the hard way.
Go ahead and bash away... someday you may realize whats up and open you closed mind. "
to chichead wrote on Aug 3, 2009 2:20 PM:
Yep wrote on Aug 3, 2009 9:29 AM:
Yep wrote on Aug 3, 2009 9:22 AM:
Dont Like Worms wrote on Aug 2, 2009 6:32 PM:
Seriously wrote on Aug 2, 2009 6:26 PM:
chickenman wrote on Aug 2, 2009 7:23 AM:
Olathe sweet corn is sprayed at least 4 times with toxic pesticides to prevent corn worms, but of course most dont know that.
Some folks are very sensitive to the toxic chemical sprays and despite what the chem ag folks say there are those who are sickened from the toxic chemicals used just by living near farms that grow this chemicaly toxic, eat now pay later chemcorn. THINK before you eat....
Peaceoutchickenman "