King and Earl streets were buzzing this Saturday as people gathered to celebrate everyone’s favorite summer grain.

This year, the annual Corn festival brought the young, old and even pets to Shippensburg. Over 300 craft and antique vendors lined the streets selling handcrafted goods and tradition to celebrate the tasty, sweet corn.

Vendors displayed handmade baskets, holiday décor pieces, knitted blankets and sweaters, custom jewelry, doll clothes, hand-painted turkey feathers, fine soaps and homemade jam.

Holli’s Homemade Bowtique captured many bystanders’ attention. Holli Nesbitt, owner, said that she’s been at the festival for three years now. She makes colorful tutus and hair accessories for young girls. She usually displays selected pieces for a newborn up to five years of age but she’s open to making garments for older girls. Holli’s custom orders take a week to make.

“It’s a good show and I get a good amount of clientele each year,” Holli said.

Her business is run from Greencastle, but she sells her pieces at different shows and can be contacted through her Facebook page for specific orders. The next couple of events she’ll be attending are Mercersburg Town Festival, next month, then the Apple Harvest in Arendtsville.

Catering to the furry festival-goers was Linda’s Canine Kitchen. This is Linda’s tenth year selling her homemade dog treats at the corn festival. These gourmet treats are a bargain, starting at $.50. She makes grain-free assorted treats for dogs and cats. Linda noted that many dogs are allergic to flour, so the grain-free biscuits are a must.

Linda also makes decorative treats for the holidays and is known for her signature seasonal doggie muffins in flavors like peanut butter and blueberry. Linda’s Canine Kitchen started in the mid-90s and was one of the first dog treat businesses in Franklin County. Linda got started in the dog treat business because of misleading ingredients in regular dog treats.

“I wanted some wholesome ingredients so that’s how I started with a peanut butter dog bone treat.”

When Linda saw the need for these kinds of goods, she began to make different flavors and assortments. She makes her own recipes and emphasizes that her dog treats are reasonable and that’s what also makes her business successful. Linda said the best part about the annual Corn Festival is seeing familiar clients come back and buy her products. Just today, a customer brought treats for her 39 cats that stay at a cat sanctuary in Ruckersville, Virginia. She doesn’t make it to the festival every year, but when she does, Linda appreciates it.

According to the Shippensburg Corn Festival Facebook page, the festival was held the last Saturday of August. King Street was blocked off between Prince Street and Morris Street from 2:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. The Corn Festival had wide selections of good food, vendors, and live entertainment.

See more photos in the multimedia section.

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