Penelope Droigk interacts with the crowd while driving her decked out ‘Corn in the USA’ golf cart down Fourth Street in Gladbrook on Thursday, June 12, during the Corn Carnival Kiddie Parade, while her friend Sydney Thomsen rides shotgun. The annual town festival celebrated its 103rd year across four days last week. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

GLADBROOK – Across four practically perfect summer days last week, Gladbrook celebrated the 103rd iteration of the community’s annual town festival with a patriotic ‘Corn in the USA’ theme.

The 2025 Gladbrook Corn Carnival kicked into gear Thursday evening with the always adorable Little Miss & Mr. Corn Carnival crowning on the south side of City Park, followed by the equally darling Kiddie Parade featuring a packed line-up of youngsters this year, with many of them giving off E Street Band rocker Steven Van Zandt vibes with their attire.

Ruby Reinberg – truly one of the sweetest (and best-named!) youngsters this reporter has ever met – was crowned the 2025 Little Miss Corn Carnival while Brecken Brallier was crowned Little Mr. Corn Carnival. The winners’ names were blind drawn by last year’s royalty, Little Miss Cora Plett and Little Mr. Jackson Gienger. The event was sponsored by the Gladbrook Young Women service organization. Moments later, Dana Brown was crowned the 2025 Corn Cob Queen, sponsored by Anderson Funeral Homes.

The following evening, the Grand Parade was the main event, promenading down Johnson and Fourth streets to the delight of the community and guests. This year’s grand marshals – announced on the Corn Carnival Committee’s Facebook page in early June – were retired educators Becky Fish (kindergarten) and Kay Lowry (third grade), who rode together in an open-top convertible. Both ladies wore corsages inspired by those traditionally worn during Gladbrook High School Homecoming – large yellow mums with a purple ‘G’ in the center of the bloom. According to Corn Carnival Committee member Seth Martens, Geri Eilers and Lia Schulz both helped bring the corsage idea to fruition, using spider mums as the typical fall chrysanthemums are not in season yet.

The online response to Mrs. Fish and Mrs. Lowry’s announcement was nothing but enthusiastic, garnering more than 70 comments and close to 300 likes/loves (as of press time).

2025 Little Mr. Corn Carnival Brecken Brallier (second from left) and 2025 Little Miss Corn Carnival Ruby Reinberg (second from right) pictured alongside 2024 royalty, Little Mr. Corn Carnival Jackson Gienger (far left) and Little Miss Corn Carnival Cora Plett (far right), on Thursday, June 12, following this year’s crowning ceremony. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“Congratulations, Mrs. Fish and Mrs. Lowry! Two of the most patient people. These influential ladies helped lead me into teaching,” Brenda Egesdal, a second-grade teacher at Gladbrook-Reinbeck Elementary, commented.

“These two special ladies have shown love to hundreds of students over the years! … I can still hear Mrs. Fish’s soft voice every time I read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein,” Jessie Blohm said.

“Mrs. Fish made kindergarten so magical. Mrs [Lowry] I didn’t have her as a teacher but love (to) see her smile around town,” Jamie Sager wrote.

“Perfect choices for our Grand Marshals!” Sue Koster said. “They have both left positive impacts on so many of us!”

Katherine Spencer Beach addressed her comment directly to the beloved educators, writing, “… you [both] had all [three] of my boys, they wouldn’t be such great men without you … thank you both so much.”

Kay Lowry (back right, waving) and Becky Fish (back left), the 2025 Gladbrook Corn Carnival Grand Marshals, ride in the Grand Parade on Friday, June 13. Both ladies, now retired, were beloved, longtime teachers at Gladbrook Elementary School. PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER

In response, Mrs. Fish replied in the comments: “It was a huge blessing to be a part of your lives. Many blessings back to you.”

“I’d like to take the time to thank the committee for the opportunity to be a grand marshal with Becky,” Mrs. Lowry wrote on Facebook following the grand parade. “Together she and I shared many teaching experiences so it has been a week of reliving good memories of Gladbrook Elementary. Thanks to the Corn Carnival Corp. for all of your hard work. Thanks to all for our notes, calls, messages, and hugs. And to Geri, the corsage was a great idea!”

As is quickly becoming tradition, this past Monday following the Sunday conclusion of the 2025 Corn Carnival, committee member Melanie Wagner posted on Facebook a thank you to all who helped make the event another success.

“That’s a wrap on Corn Carnival 2025! On behalf of the Corn Carnival committee, we would like to thank everyone that helped make this event possible as well as all of you for coming to support the Corn Carnival,” she wrote. “We hope you all join us next year for more Corn Carnival fun and don’t forget to keep an eye out for our fall corn country [side-by-side and] ATV ride!”

The 104th annual Gladbrook Corn Carnival will take place June 11-14 next year.

Gladbrook’s bustling downtown Second Street pictured on Friday, June 13, following the Corn Carnival Grand Parade. PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER

Beth Wiese readies a bag of delicious Dave’s Mini Donuts for a Corn Carnival customer on Saturday, June 14, while parked in front of her childhood home. Wiese, a Gladbrook-Reinbeck Class of 1989 alumna who now lives in Montour, said she usually parks her and her husband Dave’s food truck downtown, but decided to locate near the Car Show this year in her mom Shirley Miell’s front yard. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

The Pie Lady’s Laura Bru displays a slice of the best apple pie in the Midwest – topped with hand-churned vanilla ice cream! – from inside her food truck set up along Gladbrook’s Second Street on Thursday evening for Corn Carnival’s opening night. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Several youngsters pump water at the crowd seated along Fourth Street near City Park as part of the Gladbrook Fire Department’s Corn Carnival Kiddie Parade float Thursday evening. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“Serving CORN Country: Everyday Heroes IN THE USA,” proclaims a printout attached to the front of a little boy’s red toy fire truck as he and his toddler sister participate in last Thursday’s Kiddie Parade dressed like miniature first responders. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

2024 Tama County Fair Queen Amaya Peterson of rural Gladbrook waves to the crowd during the Corn Carnival Grand Parade while perched on the back of an open-top convertible. PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER

‘Born to be Wild’ alumni with the Gladbrook High School Class of 1975 interact with parade attendees while riding in the Corn Carnival Grand Parade on Friday, June 13. PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER

Hailey Gienger (right) waves exuberantly to the crowd while walking in the Kiddie Parade alongside her Crayon Corner Learning Center teachers and classmates. Also pictured, Jack McCarthy (left) and Avery Mull (center). PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Looking like a cute baby version of the E Street Band’s Steven Van Zandt, a toddler coolly rides his strider bike in the Kiddie Parade Thursday evening while his caregiver, dressed as a cob of corn, displays a sign humorously declaring, "I'm just here to keep the kernels in line." PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

A trio of patriotic youngsters pedal and push their way down Gladbrook's Fourth Street while participating in the Kiddie Parade Thursday evening. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER