Janesville Noon Rotarian creates sweet, corny idea to promote fundraiser
JANESVILLE—Bob Kimball has a corny idea he's taking seriously to promote next year's Janesville Noon Rotary Corn Roast and Mud Volleyball Tournament.
It's a float with a giant ear of corn made from 1,000 one-gallon milk jugs, wire and three gallons of John Deere yellow paint.
He got the idea from two other groups that host corn festivals in their Wisconsin communities.
The longtime Rotarian and his son, Todd Kimball, started collecting the milk jugs one year ago in hopes of finishing the float for this year's Aug. 15 fundraiser. But he and friends, including other Rotarians, have collected only half the jugs he needs.
When done--in time to advertise the 2016 local corn roast fundraiser--the ear of corn will be 4 feet in diameter, 20 feet long and mounted on a farm wagon that Kimball can park at high-profile locations in town weeks before the event.
“It's a good advertising tool, will stand out and bring people to the corn roast,” he said.
And that's the point of this project, Kimball said.
Proceeds from the corn roast are used by the Rotarians for service club projects that help kids locally and around the world, he said.