The Tecumseh Corn Festival is back on this year after a little bit of rebranding.
The Optimist Club of St. Clair Beach will be hosting the event this year, changing the name slightly to Tecumseh Corn and Music Festival.
The three-day festival is planned to take place at Lacasse Park from Friday, August 25 to Sunday, August 27.
There will be two main components to the festival, including the Main Festival grounds which is planned to have free entry and the Music Festival, which is a separate fenced area that those 19-years and older will need to pay to enter.
The Main Festival will include the carnival, food trucks, corn cooking, kids play area, and art and local vendors.
The Music Festival will take place Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. and feature performances from six local bands.
The layout for the Tecumseh Corn and Music Festival. May 23, 2023 (Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Optimist Club)
The Optimist Club went forward to council to ask the Town to waive park and event permit fees, provide use of hydro electricity and water, use of fencing and fence erecting, use of the inflatable corn maze, access to onsite parking, use of the Tecumseh Corn Festival logo, access to previous signage, and possession of the 'Nibby' inflatable costume which was unanimously approved by council.
The Optimist Club also asked council for approval for the sale and service of alcoholic within the restricted area at Lacasse Park and for relief from the Noise By-law for the duration of the festival to allow music to play until 11 p.m. which was also approved.
Robert Drake, Secretary of the Optimist Club of St. Clair Beach, says they wanted to update and modernize the festival.
"One of the key things that we really wanted to do was have a real local focus on the event. So, local music, local art, local food, local vendors selling different wears. And the event will be divided into two main components."
He says the Main Festival will be similar to previous years.
"That will be from August 25th to August 27th, the Friday, Saturday, Sunday, where we'll have corn cooking, there will be food, there will be different types of demonstrations and art and vendors."
He says the Music Festival will be $15 for those 19-years-old and older.
"On Friday, August 25th and Saturday, August 26th from 5 to 11 p.m., there we'll be highlighting three local bands each night, and there will also be a beer garden inside the Music Festival grounds."
Drake says people will feel at home during this event.
"I think people are pretty excited about it coming back. It really is a tradition in Tecumseh so it's going to be nice to see it come back. The corn will be there with the corn cookers, and we'll be serving thousands of cobs of corn all weekend as well."
Those looking to volunteer for the event can reach out to the Optimist Club.
The Tecumseh Corn Festival began in 1975 and ran annually in late August until 2019.
Due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in 2020 and 2021, the festival did not operate and in 2022 the event was forfeited in lieu of the Town's 100th Anniversary Celebration.