Still sweet after all these years

There’s no trophy for most ears eaten – just bragging rights and a nap later.

But that hasn’t stopped hungry crowds from lining up year after year for the Eden Prairie Lions Club’s annual Corn Feed, which returns to Round Lake Park on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“There’s no formal competition, but you hear it,” said Gregg Fletcher, the longtime event chair. “Guys saying, ‘I ate 12 ears!’ We just let them enjoy it.”

The longstanding summer tradition draws hundreds for one reason: fresh, all-you-can-eat sweet corn – steamed, shucked, and dunked in butter. This year, organizers quietly reinvested in the equipment.

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“We’ve made a couple capital improvements – new propane cookers and stainless-steel pans for boiling,” Fletcher said. “The old ones don’t last forever.”

The corn, grown at Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm in Waverly, is flourishing. “It’s been a solid crop this year – taller than average, thanks to all the rain,” Fletcher said.

Admission prices remain unchanged from last year:

• $12 for adults (all-you-can-eat corn plus a sloppy joe or hot dog and chips)
• $8 for kids under 12 (same combo)
• Unlimited corn only: $10 for adults, $7 for kids
• A dozen uncooked ears to-go: $12
• Individual sandwiches: $3
• Beverages, including beer, sold separately

The Corn Feed is one of the Lions Club’s key fundraisers – alongside Schooner Days, the Pancake Breakfast and their revived golf tournament – with proceeds supporting everything from PROP Food Shelf and Can Do Canines to scholarships for local high school seniors.

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“It’s kind of a tradition for a lot of families,” Fletcher said of the Corn Feed. “I see the same folks year after year – sometimes they bring out-of-town guests, and it becomes a little reunion. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say they didn’t like the corn.”

Co-chair Tom Anderson – a longtime Lions member with deep Eden Prairie roots – helps make it all run smoothly behind the scenes.

Fletcher, who’s chaired the feed for 22 years, has no plans to step aside. “I’ve got a lot of knowledge in my head about what needs to get done,” he said. “It’d be hard to hand that off to someone else. But I’m still young enough to keep doing it – and I enjoy it.”