20,000 Enjoy Corny Atmosphere at La Habra Festival and Parade

Alicia Rodriguez and Kacee Frayo giggled as the El Torito Danza Mexicana dancers passed by wearing comedic Guanajuato costumes.

“They’re the funny ones,” Alicia, 5, told Kacee, 11, pointing at the dancers who wore traditional colorful masks and frolicked around a man dressed as a bull.

The girls were among an estimated 20,000 people lining La Habra Boulevard on Saturday morning, cheering, clapping and waving during the 45th annual Corn Festival Parade. The parade highlighted the two-day festival with floats, marching bands, equestrians, drill teams, bicycle-riding Boy Scouts and miniature automobiles.

Iron Eyes Cody, who was scheduled to reign as grand marshal, did not appear because he fell and hurt his shoulder in Upland last week, parade officials said.

The 77-year-old Cherokee Indian who appeared in numerous Western films is famous for shedding a tear over the destruction of the environment in “Keep America Beautiful” television commercials.

More than 70,000 people attended last year’s festival and about the same number were expected on Friday and Saturday.

Besides the parade, freshly cooked corn was a big attraction as dozens of people waited in line to sample the kerneled, yellow vegetable.

Odyxxy Maciel, 3, grinned after nibbling on her boiled and buttered cob. “I like the corn, Dad,” she told her father, James Maciel.

Chuck Overbey, chairman of the festival, said 14,000 ears of corn awaited visitors.

The festival evolved in the 1940s when many local residents were Midwesterners who had migrated from the Corn Belt. Ironically, “when the Corn Festival name was conceived, it was not because La Habra was a corn city,” Overbey said. “La Habra has never grown corn.”

In fact, for 43 years, the La Habra Host Lions Club bought corn from a Buena Park farmer who stopped growing yellow corn last year. So for the last two years, Food 4 Less has been providing the festival’s corn, Overbey said.

The event has become the local Lions Club’s single largest fund-raising event. Overbey said he expects proceeds to reach $45,000 this year. That money will then be donated to local charities.

Nonprofit organizations and service clubs sold tostadas, hot dogs, pies, ice cream and other foods. The groups also operated carnival rides and game booths. Bands including the Buffalo Brewing Company and the Country Store Band provided musical entertainment while the Elm Street Cloggers showed off their dancing skills.

While watching her son enjoy the festival, Carol Nigbor, 36, ate her corn-on-the-cob as she has for 33 years. “I was in the parade when I was in the high school band and today my son was in it,” she said. “This festival has become a family tradition for us.”

It has for other La Habra families as well.

Rene Krinker said she brought her four children to the event for the third year in a row. The Krinkers rode to the festival grounds at El Centro Park on their bicycles. “The kids love to come down every year.”

For the Maytorena family, watching the parade was their first encounter with the Corn Festival. “Wow!” yelled 2-year-old Cozette Maytorena as fire engines carrying chanting La Habra High School cheerleaders drove by.

Anita Elizarraras sat in a beach chair behind her four young children as they danced to the music of the marching bands and waved to the clowns. “They get so excited and I just love to watch them,” she said, gazing at her kids.

“We got here at 8 to get the perfect seats so we could see better,” said Elizarraras’ son, Jose, 11. “I like the colors and the little cars are my favorite.”