150 years of corn

Rockwell City celebrates sesquicentennial, Sweet Corn Daze

ROCKWELL CITY -- It's hard to know what to celebrate when both Sweet Corn Daze -- Rockwell City's annual community celebration -- and the town's sesquicentennial hit at the same time.

The ready answer.

You do both.

At the same time.

Gwen "Cpt. Corn" Hiler, 15, of Rockwell City, got to be the Sweet Corn Daze mascot. She rode in the parade on the Cobra Express float, walked back from the end of the parade with her family and spent several hours walking around the square afterward -- all in a hot costume.

"Yes," Hiler said. "It is hot. There's a fan, but it's not working very well. I'm looking forward to when I get out of this costume."

How does one end up in a Captain Corn costume for the day?

"I was volunteered by my dad," she said.

Dave Hiler, her dad, confirmed that.

"That's right," he said.

Chase Goodman, of Rockwell City, had a good reason to enter the corn eating contest.

"My wife doesn't feed me at home," Goodman joked.

He uses a spiral technique to strip the corn cob. Speed eating runs in the family.

"I have years of watching my little brother Brady do this," he said. "He had to work all night so he's home sleeping."

Saylor Van Horn, 8, of Rockwell City, won the "most creative" category in the junior division for her own use of the spiral corn eating technique. She's also a Junior Princess and managed to keep the corn out of her tiara -- and her hair out of the corn.

Her secret for winning?

"I love it," Van Horn said of the corn.

Anyone who was clean shaven on Jan. 15 and submitted a picture to prove it was eligible to enter the beard-growing contest Saturday.

Judge Jeff Fistler, who also serves as mayor of Rockwell City, looked over the contestants and decided that one of the categories would not be needed.

"At Least You Tried," Fistler said. "I don't think we'll use that one."

Curt Hiner, of Rockwell City, got second place in the under 55 division.

No special secrets.

"I just let nature take its course," Hiner said. "After this, I'm going to tidy it up a bit."

Rich Bahls, of Rockwell City, won the over 55 category for "Fullest Beard."

"I usually have a beard," Bahls said. "I just let her go. Now I can trim it again. It's usually a quarter to a half inch."

Chris Fistler, of Rockwell City, as the mayor's spouse, received the honor of measuring the beards entered in the contest.

Taking a tape measure to a beard isn't something one normally goes around doing.

"It was very awkward," Fistler said.

Brenley Lemonds, 12, of Rockwell City, was crowned the 2026 Sweet Corn Daze Princess.

"It was kind of a surprise," Lemonds said.

Among her prizes was a gift basket full of various corn-related items, including a pair of earrings, stress balls shaped like corn and a corn hat.

To her mom, Amber Lemonds, the town's sesquicentennial was the more important celebration.

"There's lots of family coming back for the reunions," Amber Lemonds said. "It's fun to see the town so vibrant and the generations back."