We’ve been talking about Labor Day Parades in Danville and Westville and First Fridays events in Downtown Danville; now let’s go to the Hoopeston Sweet Corn Festival. It all begins when the carnival opens at 5 PM Thursday, and as always, loads sweet corn will be given away.
The free sweet corn times are 1:30 to 5 Saturday, and noon to 4 Sunday and Monday. There’s also the Saturday morning parade at 10:30, heading down Main Street in Hoopeston to 8th Avenue.
As always, lots of steam power will be needed to peel all the free sweet corn.
And also this year, it’s a new beginning for the National Sweetheart Pageant. Once upon a time, the pageant was begun by the old Joan of Arc canning facility in town; inviting canneries in other towns to send candidates for the pageant. Then, for many years, it was connected with the Miss America Pageant, inviting runner-ups from state pageants to compete.
National Sweetheart Pageant contestants await their turns during Thursday morning talent rehearsals.
After that, starting in 2016, it was a more open pageant, where each state was welcome to send a candidate. But this year, for the first time, the National Sweetheart Pageant is affiliated with the new Miss Volunteer America Pageant. As Sweetheart Pageant Executive Director Michelle Crabtree explains, a former Miss America contestant had an idea. And, you may have heard of her husband.
AUDIO: She was involved with the Miss Tennessee organization, was a former Miss Tennessee with the Miss America program, and a former Miss Tennessee with the USA program. Her name is Allison DeMarcus. She’s married to Jay DeMarcus from Rascall Flatts. She actually built this organization from the ground up, starting a couple years ago.
National Sweetheart Pageant candidates Ashley Berry (Missouri), Robyn Heineken (Alaska), and Claire Vincenzi (California) rehearse for talent competition.
So all runner-ups from the state Miss Volunteer America Pageants are now invited; while each state winner goes to the Miss Volunteer America National Pageant in Jackson, Tennessee; held this year in May. And as Crabtree explains, the runner-ups who come to Hoopeston are welcome to go back and compete in next year’s Miss Volunteer America Pageant, or make the Hoopeston Sweet Corn Festival their final stop on the pageant trail. But either way, it’s about offering opportunities for their futures.
AUDIO: It’s about when we can offer these contestants; scholarship money, sisterhood, empowering these young women to go out into the workforce; or go out and continue their pursuit for the crown, if that’s what they want to do. So, whatever avenue they decide to take, we want to try and help them do that.
All participants are between the ages of 19 and 26; and the National Sweetheart Pageant programs are at 6:30 PM both Saturday and Sunday evenings in the McFerren Park Civic Center. Neuhoff Media’s Scott Eisenhauer will be Master of Ceremonies; as Miss National Sweetheart 2022 will be crowned. Fourteen candidates are competing this year, with plans to bring in more runner-ups next year as Miss Volunteer America grows. All 14 will participate Saturday, the eight finalists on Sunday.
