Corn roast raises funds for scholarships

It’s a tradition that has taken place for nearly 50 years, and if the turnout from this year’s event is any indication, support for the Wittenberg-Birnamwood FFA Alumni’s annual corn roast is stronger than ever.

Hundreds of people headed to Wittenberg Community Park on July 18 for the 46th annual roast, which raises money for scholarships given to Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School students.

Dave Schmidt, one of the organizers of the event, said it takes several volunteers to help make the event a success each July.

“We plan six months prior to dot all our I’s and cross all our T’s,” he said. “We go through 350 dozen ears of corn from Spring Green, west of Madison. We have 800 burgers and 300 brats for sale, and our local FFA (chapter) has cheese curds for sale.”

“The money that we raise here goes to scholarships for graduating seniors at Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School,” Schmidt said. “The alumni is an auxiliary of the FFA. We also get involved with the selection committee for the officers for the next year.”

Weather can often affect attendance at outdoor events, but that wasn’t the case this year.

“It’s super this year, ideal, probably one of our better times,” Schmidt said as a long line began forming for corn. “In 2019, we got evacuated to the grade school across the street. That’s when a tornado was up in Elcho. We were cleaning up the next day and they got hit in Amherst.”

The event hasn’t changed much over the years, according to Schmidt.

“We’re always looking for new members,” he said. “Fortunately, our FFA chapter comes to help us with the corn and the clean-up.”

The corn roast typically draws 1,000 to 1,200 people.

“We get a lot from the outlying areas,” Schmidt said. “We’re always on the third Friday in July. The reason we do it on a Friday is people are able to go do their family things on Saturday and Sunday.”