After canceling last year’s food festival, Friday and Saturday marked the return of the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce Corn Roast in Crown Point.
It’s no secret why the festival continues to be a favorite for many – it’s the food. The Corn Roast has been a tradition for many during the last 40 years, and the return was anticipated by the community.
“I’ve been coming to this my whole life, or since they had it,” said Jeremie Stephens of Merrillville, Ind. “It’s always good times, good food, and good people.”
Stephens noted that his favorite foods offered here are smoked.
Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce Director of Community Relations Lisa Winstead said the event features a wide variety of food, but some sponsors also offer family-friends activities. The entertainment and camaraderie is a huge draw for many locals.
“This is our big community event. Most of our events are promoting businesses with our business expo and our golf outing,” Winstead said. “We bring the Corn Roast every year to keep that community tradition.”
This is the second year that Christina Ramos attended the festival with her family and friends.
“We moved closer to the Crown Point area, so we wanted to get more involved with the local events,” Ramos said. “It’s about the food and the company.”
One of this year’s Corn Roast highlights was a meet-and-greet with former NASA Astronaut Jerry Ross (Colonel, USAF, Ret.). His attendance was part of Purdue Federal Credit Union’s experiential trailer.
“Jerry Ross has been a spokesman for Purdue Federal Credit Union since 2015. We try to bring him home to the Crown Point area to do events for us at least once a year,” said Lindsey Kilty, community relations specialist at Purdue Federal Credit Union.
Ross was born in Crown Point and graduated from Crown Point High School. He is a Purdue University alumna and has experienced over 1,393 hours in space. Ross was also the first human to be launched into space seven times.
“This is the first time in almost two years that we have been back here,” Ross said. “It’s been a long wait. It’s always great to be home; there are always new and exciting things to do.”
Before COVID-19, Ross would visit the area two or three times a year. His wife, Karen, is from the Sheridan area. Ross said when he’s home, he can see classmates and long-time friends.
Kilty, who loves the festival food, noted how this is the first year Purdue Federal Credit Union has sponsored the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce Corn Roast.
“We opened our branch in Crown Point back in 2019, and we’ve been waiting a year and a half for this event to finally happen,” Kilty said.
The two-day festival featured five musical performances, a beer garden, and 22 food vendors.
For more information on Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce, visit its website at www.crossroadschamber.org.
