CORN HAS KINDLY BESTOWED ITS NAME... upon a number of different edibles that don't quite appear, or taste, like something straight from the cob. Take corned beef, for example, or corn dogs (beef, turkey, veggie, cheese), and popcorn, and, yes, candy corn, the stripe-iest superstar of the Halloween seasons. But cob-type corn, the kind you walk around munching at a carnival or county fair, feels very much like corn's origin story, the kind of tale that unfurls, dramatically, at the beginning of a blockbuster film. And this is the moment of that particular blockbuster, high summer, or the start of August, if you prefer, when all things cob-oriented really shine. Shine in our markets, shine upon our backyard grills, and shine in La Habra, which will once again the decades-along La Habra Corn Festival, which roasts, pops, and butters it all up from Friday, Aug. 4 through Sunday, Aug. 6.
BEYOND THE CORN: While you can definitely find your cob, or pair of cobs, or the half dozen cobs you intend to devour, typewriter-style, consider that the festival, which is helmed by the La Habra Lions Club, is also about rides, craft booths, games, and other stroll-around-and-enjoy activities. Of course, it just may be all about the star food of the weekend for you, and that's okay. "There is only ONE Corn Festival in Southern California!," proclaims the official site, and while you can definitely find a good ear here and there around the region, such as at our local fairs, if you're a committed cornist you may want to say you've done La Habra at least once. Also? There are corn-eating contests, if that floats your boat — er, cob. But hold onto your cob-shaped corn holders, kernel lovers: Fall follows August, it needn't be said, and with autumn? The giant corn mazes arrive. We're now officially entering the corniest stretch of the year and that, truly, is as sweet as a melting pat of butter.
