DeKalb’s 30th annual Cornfest got off to a sluggish start Friday in the high water from Thursday’s rain.

But the inclement weather was not enough to cancel the following two days of the celebration, and thanks to the response of the event’s board, the community saw some relief in lieu of their annual harvest party.

“Due to the city, fire, police and public works departments being called out to handle the flooding and road closures in town, we will be canceling all Cornfest activities and the carnival in the downtown area for Friday Aug. 24th only,” said Cornfest board of directors co-chair Lisa Angel in a press release Friday.

Without officials on hand to ensure the security of fairgoers, it was not worth the public safety risk to continue with Friday’s activities without proper support, Angel said.

At 9 p.m. Friday, Cornfest officials met to determine the fate of the remaining two days of the event.

Resources set aside for Cornfest’s first day did not go unused. Appreciating the community’s need for assistance, some Cornfest volunteers helped fill and distribute sandbags at the Water Resources Division building, 1216 Market St.

Beyond providing extra manpower to the flood-relief efforts, the Cornfest board had something more to offer: a good meal.

A thank-you dinner originally arranged for sponsors of the festival was redistributed to families displaced by the flood.

“With the severity of flooding conditions Friday, the Cornfest board, in partnership with University Plaza, took their planned appreciation dinner on the road,” Angel said.

At the DeKalb Sports and Recreation Center, 1765 South Fourth St., local Red Cross chapters established an emergency shelter where Jeremy Wilkerson, University Plaza’s catering manager, sent his banquet.

“Fillet of beef, garlic cheese mashed potatoes, sautéed vegetables, cheese and cracker platters and vegetable trays were served by the Red Cross to 80 displaced families from the two trailer parks that got flooded out,” Wilkerson said.

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