Bristol’s Corn Dog Festival is back for its third year
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
What started as a simple idea for a free lunch in celebration of National Corn Dog Day has evolved into something much bigger. Now in its third year, the Bristol Corn Dog Festival has grown into a daylong celebration that attracts visitors from across the country.
Sponsored by the Monogram Foods Loves Kids Foundation, the event benefits local not-for-profit Hearts United for Bristol, also known as The Hub, ensuring that the festival’s impact is felt long after the last corn dog is eaten.
“We didn’t have enough time to pull off the Corn Dog Day event, so we pushed it to later in the year and started talking about the different things we could do,” Corn Dog Festival Director Angela Harney said. “A couple of months later, it turned into this huge festival. It’s crazy.”
While hugely successful, Harney, who ordinarily works as a procurement manager with Tennessee-based Monogram Foods, refers to her first year running the festival as a learning experience.
“We learned a lot on the day of the festival. We learned that we had no idea what we were doing,” Harney shared. “Since then, we’ve added more entertainment, free children’s activities, and have raised more money every year for The Hub.”
From the get-go, Harney and her team partnered with town officials to bring the event to life. It was through this partnership that the planning committee first learned about the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority’s CreatINg Places Program. Their campaign in 2022 to raise $20,000 for improvements to Congdon Park, the venue for the festival, was successful.
“Small towns generally don’t have those resources to put on a large festival; we don’t have the staff, and we don’t have the funds,” Bristol Assistant Town Manager Jill Swartz said. “Monogram has really taken initiative to fund those resources, staff those hours and they’ve blown it out of the park.”
Following a deliberate $20 million investment from its Tennessee headquarters in 2017, Monogram’s Bristol plant now produces about 74 million pounds of corn dogs every year, making the small town of 1,800 people the “Corn Dog Capital of the World.”
“People are learning that corn dogs can take on a life of their own. Now you have a sausage wrapped with pancake. You can have a veggie dog. You can have a gluten-free dog. So there’s a corn dog for everyone,” Harney said “That’s why we’re growing; people are using the original design of a corn dog and making it match their needs, and that’s why we continue to put out so many corn dogs.”
Giving back to the community is at the heart of the festival and is a main draw for many attendees. Formerly known as the Bristol Food Pantry, the Hub provides assistance and guidance to those in need and opportunities for others to give-back through serving.
“I’m happy to be able to say we’re a part of this corn dog festival and see it evolve into something great,” Swartz said. “This is really a great showcase of small town community engagement and giving back.”
With about 18 food vendors this year, Harney said she is certain everyone would be able to find something to enjoy from the array of Mexican cuisine, Asian noodles, Rulli’s Pizza, barbeque, snacks, desserts and corn dogs.
Harney talks about the different delicacies at this year’s events, including new entertainment and a veteran outreach.
“We have a new comedian this year. He is very good. His name is Andy Beningo,” Harney added. “Quilts of Valor, an organization that gives quilts to veterans will be here to give quilts out to veterans in the Bristol area. That’s new this year and we’re very excited about that.”
From wanting to do something good for the community, Harney has been surprised by the effect the festival has had on employees within the plant. Of about 180 volunteers at the festival, more than three-quarters are Monogram employees.
“I know this sounds crazy but the week of the festival, we always have higher production rates in the plant because people are excited. They’re in a good mood, and they’re working for that goal,” Harney said. “That’s been the most eye opening for us—that something outside of the four walls of our plant has actually improved our plant function.”
Folks from Monogram’s offices in Boston, Chicago and Tennessee will be in attendance. Attendees will also get to try product samples from the company’s other factories.
“What we’ve learned along the way is that business is different today than it was 20 years ago,” Harney said. “It really is helpful for your employees, for the business itself, to be involved in the community because that’s what people want today.”
The Corn Dog Festival will take place on Saturday at Congdon Park from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., offering a full day of fun, food, and entertainment for the whole family. For this year’s corn dog eating competition, Swartz said former Bristol Town Council member, Andrew Medford, will be present to defend his title.