Adel Sweet Corn Festival

Today we went to the Adel Sweet Corn Festival...one of our favorite things about Iowa!

Cole loves the parade with all the tractors and trucks. We even saw a train this year! Elise liked the horses the most.

After the parade we made our way to get our all-you-can-eat sweet corn. The process is pretty amazing. The night before hundreds of volunteers shuck all the corn. The corn is stored in the back of a big semi, then it is sent down a conveyor belt to be lowered into the boiling water, then another conveyor belt to the tables where volunteers distribute it. Ben asked for 5 and they gave him 8. He did his best, but he only made it through 6 :)

To beat the heat the local fire departments set up a game for the kids. There is a can strung up high along a rope. Two kids stand on either side of the rope and use small hoses to try to spray the can to the opposite end of the rope. Cole went up against Morgan. They needed a little help, and Cole got a little more help than Morgan so he was able to get the can to her side. The kids had fun until they were soaking wet and freezing cold.

This year we found a Life Flight helicopter and we were able to get a look inside. Cole has been obsessed with helicopters lately so this was a real treat for him.

There was also an ambulance and a police car that the kids were able to look at. Cole got to turn on the siren and all the kids sat in the back like they were arrested...hopefully for the first and last time!

Can you see why we love the Corn Festival so much?!

As usual we had a fun filled day at the festival this year. Days like this help me remember why I love Iowa so much!