The Antique Gas Engine Show is absent from the Grundy County Corn Festival this year. The event had been a fixture of Corn Festivals for decades. Antique gas engine enthusiasts travelled from far and near to proudly display their machinery.
Last year, Mayor Dick Kopczick issued a controversial mayoral edict ordering the engine operators to immediately remove their vehicles from the lawn at Chapin Park. The operators tried to explain that they must stay near their machines to keep them running safely. Mayor Kopczick refused to reconsider. Instead, he enlisted the assistance of police to carry out his command and swiftly emptied the park. The engine owners group vowed not to return to Morris.
You might think that the mayor would take steps to make amends and encourage the group to return. If the park lawn had suddenly become an overriding concern, surely there must be some other suitable location.
These out of town guests who volunteered their time, money and energy to make Corn Festival more enjoyable for all, are now left with a negative perception of our community, festival goers are deprived of an enjoyable experience, and a Corn Festival tradition has been destroyed.
