Western Bureau: Just over $1 million is being spent by the Wait-a-bit Citizens Association and members of the community’s police youth club for the inaugural staging of the Trelawny Corn festival, scheduled to be held on October 15.

According to chairman of the organising committee David Rowe, there are three main reasons for the staging of the festival.

“We are putting on the festival because we want to introduce corn as a viable short-term crop. We also want to raise funds to help in the purchase of computers and furniture for the farmers’ resource and training centre. And we would like to showcase the by-products of corn,” he told the Observer.

The Heroes Day activities will kick off at 10:00 am with a street parade while other activities planned include a culinary competition that will feature a wide variety of dishes made from corn. There will also be children’s games and displays from the major sponsors of the event. “Later in the day, there will be a talent show highlighting the various local talents in the area,” Rowe added.

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) has endorsed the event, and will also be setting up displays to educate farmers about the cultivation of the crop and the use of the product.

RADA parish manager, Bernard Goffe, said that he is hoping that the festival will help to boost the production of the crop in the parish as well as to promote greater use of the product.