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Corn husking festival: Students learn about traditional corn harvesting and use

Friday, September 25, 2009
By GEOFF RANDS/Staff writer
(Photo)
Marshall third-graders watch Ray Prichard, not pictured, as he uses a press to squeeze juice from apples during Education Day, part of the Missouri State Corn Husking Competition. Front row, from left: J.R. Wendolin, Schylar Riley, Nikki Janes, Tristen Crawford and Tayler Sisic. Back row, from left: Eric Herrera, Lane Brandt, Trinity Stewart, Kylee White and Gabby Shellenbarger.
(Geoff Rands/Democrat-News)
Third- and fourth-grade students from Marshall, Slater, Malta Bend and Orearville attended Corn Husking Education Day Thursday, Sept. 24, at the Saline County Fairground.

Ray Prichard gave students demonstrations on apple cider-making using a press and then showed them how to use a mechanical apple-peeler.

"We recycle everything," he said as he tossed the apple peel into the press.

Kenny Williams of Marshall, with the help of his wife, Gale, spoke about corn milling.

Holding up a stone milling wheel, he pointed to the center and noted that the metal in it is lead.

"They didn't think anything about having ... lead ... in this," he said.

Students then had a chance to turn the wheel on a corn mill that uses metal plates "so close together," said Kenny, "you can't get a knife blade between them," meaning the meal would be a fine powder.

(Photo)
As Marshall third-grader Kylee White grinds corn, her classmates, from left, Jamie Lemmons, Regan Godsey and Tayler Sisic and teacher Louann Thomas, look on and Kenny Williams catches the cornmeal in his hand.
(Geoff Rands/Democrat-News)
As students milled the corn, Kenny held his hand beneath the spout and caught the meal. Showing it to them, he remarked to one student, "Doesn't take long, does it?"

Gale then treated students to soft, fried cornmeal cookies.

Marshall's Wayne McReynolds' station taught about removing corn kernels from the cob. He first had students work to remove the kernels by hand before he turned the crank on his machine and fed de-husked corn down into the machine. Kernels fell from the bottom and the cob, free of kernels, popped out of the machine's side.

(Photo)
From left to right, Marshall third-graders Jacob Hall, Grant Mach and Noe Medrano remove kernels of corn from a cob by hand.
(Geoff Rands/Democrat-News)
He then spoke about the uses of a corncob, telling the students that it makes good fuel for a fire.

Emma Johnson, formerly of Arrow Rock and currently of Montgomery City, gave a demonstration of corn picking and husking.

She showed students a two-thumbed glove which, she said, allowed workers to get twice as much use out of the glove, because when holes formed on one side, they could simply shift the glove to the opposite hand.

Marshall Optimist Club members Ann and Paul Collier, Winnie Warnock, Gary Grote and Mary and Gene Cassell were on hand with a steady supply of popcorn and lemonade when the children finished their circuit of the stations. They also cooked hamburgers and hot dogs for demonstrators' lunches.

"Most kids these days are city kids ... They don't know about cider-making or grinding up corn to make cornmeal," said Ann in support of Education Day, which was sponsored by Walmart.

Contact Geoff Rands at marshallreporter@socket

© Copyright 2009 Marshall Democrat-News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Sounds like you all will have a lot of fun!

For those of you who are looking for husking hooks and pegs please check out D 'n R Distributing, They are some of the only manufacturers of the Original corn husking hooks and pegs! www.dnrdistributing.com

Have lots of Fun!

J Shrock

-- Posted by jeshrock on Wed, Oct 27, 2010, at 10:41 PM

Agriculture is such an important part of our local culture. We need to make sure the things we understand as adults are taught to the children in our area as well. Thanks to all who participated in this educational activity. Thanks, as well, to the MDN for sharing this with the public.

-- Posted by oneofmany on Sat, Sep 26, 2009, at 12:28 AM

Children need to know where their food comes from. Even if the technology has changed there is a disconnect between pushing a grocery cart and who and where the food comes from. Too bad ConAgra can't show the Children what they do with their raw materials such as #2 Yellow Corn.

Farmers, Gardeners, Trucking Companies, Food Processing plants as well as the homemaker all have a part of DINNER. As far as I can see they are all doing a good thing.

-- Posted by movaldude on Fri, Sep 25, 2009, at 11:24 PM

This is a good article! I think Ray, Kenny, Gale, Wayne, Emma, and Marshall Optimist Club members Ann and Paul Collier, Winnie Warnock, Gary Grote and Mary and Gene Castle, did a very good job! We need more programs like this for kids. It is an important part of history. I think it's Great!

-- Posted by Gumby on Fri, Sep 25, 2009, at 4:16 PM

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