WAYNE – On Wednesday, August 5, Pilger will host its 18th annual “Sweet Corn and Hamburger Feed.” The event will run from 5 – 9 p.m. at the Cooper Family Community Center. Free will donations are accepted. The Pilger pool will be open at no charge. Pilger and Wisner Midwest Bank will be serving root beer floats on free will donation basis. All proceeds will benefit the Pilger Pool Fund.
Ron Wolverton has organized the feed since its conception 18 years ago. He talked about specifics regarding the pool fund. Additionally, he mentioned an important donor.
“It helps pay the bond down on the pool. This year we’ve got the Dinklage Foundation, Abby and Louis Faye Dinklage Foundation, that is going to match up to $10,000 of our proceeds,” Wolverton stated.
One-hundred percent of the money goes toward the pool fund, that includes money from root beer floats. Wolverton estimated about $149,000 raised throughout the 18 years of the feed. Typically, the sweet corn feed will serve just under 400 people per year.
For roughly the first eight years of the event, Wolverton and his wife Barb funded the feed themselves. More recently, they’ve taken a community-driven approach to funding.
“Just go around and ask for some donations to help support the feed and that’s what I’ve been doing here lately,” Wolverton said. “Just going around talking to some people, if they’d like to help support the feed and what that money does, that goes to help pay for all the hamburger and the corn and everything it takes to put the feed on.”
Wolverton spoke about the help he receives every year from the community.
“Everybody’s got their own job they do and you don’t have to tell nobody nothing, they just do it,” he said. “Everybody knows what to do and everyone takes care of their portion of what needs to be done. We probably got 65 – 70 volunteers that help.”
To assure people of their health and safety, there will be some measures taken on Wednesday. Wolverton mentioned that he put salt, pepper, and ketchup packets in Ziplock bags because shakers and bottles transmit germs. There will be outdoor seating with the tables spread out.
The Cooper Family Community Center is located on Main Street in Pilger. Get to the community center by turning toward the east just south of the swimming pool when on Highway 15.