Vinton in Benton County, Iowa — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Sweet Corn Day Festival
Vinton, Iowa
— 1929 - 1959 —
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2021
1. Sweet Corn Day Festival Marker
When ground was broken in November of 1879 for the S.H. Watson Canning Company, it was the beginning of Vinton's identity as the "Corn Canning Capital of the World". Eventually, the Vinton canning industry grew to be the largest in the Midwest. It was a natural extension to build a festival around the area's leading industry. Where the idea originated depends on where the information comes from. What is known is that it started out as a rather small observance of Labor Day in 1929 with the local school children parading through the streets carrying stalks of corn. As a reward, they were given the remainder of the day off for picnics and fun. That tradition of fun continued for thirty years with large parades, music concerts and lots of sweet corn to celebrate the harvest and the end of summer. When the canning operation closed in 1959, it signaled the end of the Vinton Sweet Corn Day Festival. This mural was designed to celebrate that wonderful, waning days of summer festival. It was painted by the Letterheads during another Labor Day weekend festival, "The Harvest of Walls 2000 Art Festival," some forty years after the last Sweet Corn
this page online
Erected 2000.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1929.
Location. 42° 10.07′ N, 92° 1.527′ W. Marker is in Vinton, Iowa, in Benton County. Marker is on A Avenue just north of West 4th Street, on the right when traveling north. Mural and marker are mounted above eye-level on the west wall of the building at the northeast corner of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 123 W 4th St, Vinton IA 52349, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Chestnut Firestation (approx. 13.2 miles away); The Jesse Wasson Society (approx. 13.2 miles away); Rural Iowa Heritage Center (approx. 13.2 miles away); The Pioneer Spirit (approx. 13.2 miles away); City Hall (approx. 13.3 miles away).
Also see . . . Sweet Corn Days Past. (A brief gallery of photographs and commentary from Sweet Corn Days festivals.) (Submitted on July 1, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2021
2. Sweet Corn Day Festival Mural
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2021
3. Sweet Corn Day Festival Mural & Marker
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2021
4. Sweet Corn Day Festival Mural Plaque
Harvest of Walls
2000
Mural
”Sweet Corn Day Festival”
Artist
Jay Allen, Machesney Park, IL.
Sponsored by
Farmer’s Savings Bank & Trust – Vinton
Credits. This page was last revised on July 26, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 1, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 414 times since then and 151 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 1, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
