Hunter Ketchum made an interesting discovery Friday about freshly roasted corn: A little rain does not hurt the flavor at all.
Neither does a lot of rain.
The 8-year-old from Shawano joined family members at the Bonduel Lions Club annual corn roast in wet and muddy conditions that organizers said were the worst in recent memory for the event.
The inclement weather did not dampen the spirits of those who turned out to grab an ear and enjoy the annual summer gathering.
“It’s kind of fun,” said Haley Ketchum, Hunter’s older sister. “You just get wet.”
The Lions Club has been sponsoring the corn roast for 58 years to raise money for its community service activities, including a camp for children with disabilities.
With favorable weather conditions, the event in past years has drawn crowds upwards of 3,000 people and generated as much as $12,000 in proceeds.
Under heavy rain that turned Village Park into a muddy mess, organizers faced a significant drop in attendance and were hoping just to break even.
Joel Devcich, past president of the Lions Club, said he could not complain, after a lucky streak of good weather for many years. Devcich also said his spirits were buoyed by the dedicated supporters who showed up in the rain.
“I’m impressed that people are here,” he said. “This is great.”
The club purchased nearly 8,000 ears of corn for the event.
To everyone’s surprise, organizers were able to get the grills fired up and keep them lit in the rain long enough to roast corn, along with burgers and brats. A band was scheduled to perform later, and participants were hopeful that the rain eventually would let up.
Julie Modjeski, of Sparta, found herself in town with her husband and two children. When they discovered that a corn roast was under way, the family headed over to Village Park and joined the fun.
Modjeski said they could not let the wet conditions discourage them.
“You’ve always got to come out for corn,” she said.
About 50 volunteers and club members are involved in putting on the event. Devcich said he and the others look forward to the corn roast, and they were enjoying themselves despite the inclement weather.
“I love it,” he said. “It’s a good cause — that’s the whole thing.”
