Communities Grow Together on Elevate Springfield featuring Dave Kimsey and Nicholas Koch

Summary

The conversation centers around the Chatham Jaycees Sweet Corn Festival, highlighting the organization's role in community building, fundraising, and service. The Jaycees focus on charitable initiatives, such as providing clothing for children in need, and their year-round activities that engage the community are discussed. The festival itself is a significant event that brings together families and local businesses, featuring various entertainment options and unique competitions. Overall, the Jaycees commitment to improving the community through service and fun is emphasized. The conversation explores the upcoming Sweet Corn Festival in Chatham, Illinois, focusing on the unique cow chip throwing competition, the community's engagement through music and volunteerism, and the impact of the festival on local charities. The hosts discuss the camaraderie among volunteers, the importance of community support, and the various activities planned for the festival weekend, emphasizing the significance of joining the Chatham Jaycees for those looking to contribute to their community.

Takeaways

• The Sweet Corn Festival is a key fundraising event for local initiatives.
• Community collaboration is essential for successful events.
• The festival includes a variety of entertainment and activities for all ages.
• Local businesses and organizations contribute to the festival's success.
• The Jaycees aim to improve the community through various service projects.
• Generational participation in events strengthens community ties.
• The festival features unique competitions like the cow chip throw.
• Joining the Chatham Jaycees offers opportunities to give back to the community.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to Elevate Springfield, where we will dive into strategies and stories that help you rise to your full potential. Each episode, we'll talk about how you can take intentional steps to elevate your life and your business while making a meaningful impact on those around you. Along the way, we're gonna bring in the change makers from our community that are already elevating. We'll bring the actionable strategies, you bring the discipline and follow through, and together we can elevate Springfield. Alright, let's go, Springfield. Time to 10X your day, y'all. Time to level up, time to crush it. Hey, you are listening to the Elevate Springfield podcast. Robert Farrell here, certified 10x coach, speaker, and mentor. Here to bring you actionable strategies. You bring the discipline and follow through it together. We're going to Elevate Springfield. Well, you are listening to another segment of Communities Grow Together on the Elevate Springfield podcast. As you know, we drop these segments each week. The Communities Grow Together segment will touch on all things nonprofit associations and how we as a community are working together so we can all grow together. This segment is brought to you by David Hilst, American Family Insurance Agency over on West Wabash. Whatever you need insurance-wise, whether that's business, life, home, auto, or anything in between, hey, David and his team can take care of you. Give them a shout, or hey, stop by and visit them over on West Wabash. These segments are quick hits of actionable strategies and what's going on in our area to help you level up and grow together. Be right back after the break. Looking for personalized insurance with hometown care, David Hilst, American Family Insurance Agent is here to help you protect what matters most: your family, your home, and your dreams. Whether it's auto, home, life, business, David and his team are proud to serve the Springfield community with trusted advice and reliable coverage. Local service, real relationships, peace of mind. Call today or stop by their office. They can build your dream protection plan together. Call 217-726-6343. All right, and we are back for another edition of Communities Grow Together, brought to you by David Hillst, American Family Insurance Agency. Hey, anything you need insurance-wise, David and his team are going to take care of you. Give him a shout. Or stop by their office over on West Wabash. Hey, two familiar faces in the studio with me. Both have been on the podcast before. You know them, you love them. We've got Dave Kemsey, we've got Nick Cock, Dave from a couple of different places. Nick from Troxel will remind everybody what you guys do. But uh appreciate you coming down.

SPEAKER_03 3:08

Hey, thanks for having us, Robert. Yeah, thanks for having us. Always, always happy to join.

SPEAKER_01 3:12

Absolutely. So, main topic today, we're going to talk about the Chatham JC Sweet Corn Festival. But before we do that, remind everybody what you guys do outside of that.

SPEAKER_00 3:21

Beyond the volunteering, we have to we have to have jobs in real life. I am the chief financial officer for Johnson Development Company, which is a locally owned hotel management and ownership group. Uh, and then in my free time, I'm the mayor in the village of Chatham.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

There you go. And remind everybody what those hotels are here locally. Which ones are they? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 3:39

We are the Hampton Inn Suites and the Stay Bridge Suites on the uh southwest side behind Meyer. Uh beautiful hotels. There you go. Good-looking ownership group.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

That always helps, right?

SPEAKER_03 3:52

And Nick? Yep, yep. Thanks for having me back on. Uh, I'm with Troxel. Anything insurance, home, auto, commercial, cyber, you name it, we can we can help with your life, benefits, health insurance, everything.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

Well, the sweet corn festival is always a big event in Chatham. Uh, but as the name states, it is the Chatham JC's Sweet Corn Festival. So if anybody out there just doesn't know what the JC's does or what they're around for, what do they do?

SPEAKER_00 4:17

So JC's traditional is the junior chamber of commerce. The whole group is set up with the notion that these are the young and aspiring and up-and-coming business leaders and chamber members of the future. So in that tenant, the overall national charter kind of focuses on growth and development, learning how to become a business person, you know, in that kind of interim section where you're coming out of college or just getting your career started and how to start networking, how to continue your own personal development, and start to learn how to give back to your community as you're growing in your life and making that part of everything that you do. Chatham JCs are a little bit of a different animal than what's traditionally seen uh through most JC chapters. Sure. And a lot of that kind of springs on just the fact of where we are and and what our demographic is, where our club is located. So a lot of our membership has traditionally been kind of past that point uh in their career. And so we focus a lot more on the service side. One of the lines in the in the JC Creed says that service to humanity is the best work of life. And that's about what we focus our entire club on is that giving back the charitable at work, uh making your town better, and and doing that service to humanity component of what the JC stands for.

SPEAKER_01 5:44

Absolutely. So outside of the big event that's coming up, what are some other things you guys do throughout the year?

SPEAKER_03 5:49

Yeah, we're honestly pretty well all all seasons we we've got something going. Usually we'll have uh January, February, we'll do a Euchre tournament, and then we'll obviously have the JC's sweet corn. Do usually in Octo uh late September, we'll have an Octoberfest. And then that that's kind of uh, I guess coming up here this coming weekend, we'll have Freedom Fest uh out at South Park in Chatham there. Uh we'll have live music, bands, uh we'll have some food out there as well, and then of course the fireworks. Um and I always like to think if it can warm up for the sweet corn. Well, because sweet corn's at the same park, and being born and raised and living in Chatham my whole life, it's kind of the the kickoff of the sweet corn because you're at the park and everything's set up and so is that a is that fully done by the JCs or is that a collaborative amongst other groups?

SPEAKER_00 6:35

A little bit of a collaboration. I mean, the the fireworks are the village's fireworks display. About a decade ago, the JCs started to get iris. How do we add to this? Sure. What what more can we do and make this more of a community event? Nick will be the only person that gets away and and actually probably has the guts to reference a an official America's 250th birthday celebration block party event as being a warm-up to some other festival.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

Right. But it's just the precursor, just the prelude to it.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

We we have we have um Tide Freedom Fest this year into the greater national 250th birthday of the United States, and it is it is recognized as an official block party location for the 250th birthday, and and so it's kind of a big deal, and that's tie into something bigger and then put our own spin on what we're doing.

SPEAKER_03 7:25

Heck yeah, I love it. And I think that's something about the JC's has always been is is it really comes down to the just the community and how, like you said, how okay, we're doing the fireworks, but how can we make it better? That's just the JCs and how can we make our community better? How whether it's improving our kids' lives in our community, whether it's helping when tragedies strike in our community. I think JC's was one of the first organizations to to step up and and offer assistance. So it's really just capitalizing on what's already there and and improving. I think it's what the JCs does best.

SPEAKER_01 7:57

Absolutely. Well, while we're on that, the the funding that you receive from some of these events, what does it go to used for? Well, a lot of these things you're talking about, tragedies happen, you assist, but where does where do you guys step in and provide some funding in areas?

SPEAKER_00 8:11

One one of our longest standing events and and ways that we give back and help, uh, which is driven primarily based on what we're able to raise during the sweet corn festival, is our clothes for kids program. So we work closely with the Ball Chatham School District and the counselors within the schools to identify grade school children that need some assistance on getting new pants, clothes, winter clothes. Sure. Focus a lot on the on the winter based on when we do it, is to make sure that kids are coming in warm to school. That timing also allows parents for these children that what they might have been able to do during the Christmas season, they can do it on something that's fun rather than some of the practical needs and necessities. So we'll end up taking three busloads full of children, all paired with uh an adult, into Meyer shop, get them a grocery cart full of winter clothes and what they need to get through the winter. And and that funding comes right out of the the sweet corn festival, uh, not only for us, but for the Lutheran Church, who has been a partner on this for years with it. They're out there at the sweet corn festival at the Walt's Prize. So help them out too, because that's where that's where a lot of their funding that they raise ends up going right back into this. And that that program started out as shoes. It and as the JCs have grown, it's gone from shoes to shoes and coats to entire winter wardrobes, and that's a testament to how much the the JCs continue to put into this effort, but also how much the community supports us in things like the sweet corn festival to be able to grow it and provide that much more.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

It is really cool how Chatham seems especially good at this in terms of these wraparound services almost the yellow Titan fuel that does the food for the kids. You guys are coming in on the other side for the clothing and help with that. It's really phenomenal to see communities come come together like that and really provide those services for those kids.

SPEAKER_00 10:12

Somewhere in here you have dominate, don't compete. Uh-huh. And that's that really kind of takes there are a lot of groups that are that are in the village and that exist and provide those kind of services. And the JCs, we hear it a lot because we're very active within that club, but it's consistent through the other is how can we help? How can we help? So even though you may not be running the entire event, there's a lot of how can we help that's popping up in there. And and Nick can kind of there's a lot of that how can we help from outside groups on the sweet corn festival too. And people coming in to help us pull this thing off.

SPEAKER_01 10:49

Love it.

SPEAKER_00 10:50

Yeah, it's uh it's impressive.

SPEAKER_03 10:53

How how what you know? I last year I I I don't know if I drew the short stick or what I was thinking, but I signed up to drive the uh because we have to mark out the whole parking area and driving stakes. And if you remember last summer it was we we didn't have rain for months, and so it was bone dry. And if you've ever if you've ever pounded a post in there, you know it's not fun, and let alone when it's dry and a hundred degrees. And I think the only thing that got me through that was knowing that every pole I'm pounding was had a bigger cause. It wasn't for us to throw a party, it was to put shoes on a kid, to give him a winter coat. It's a great experience.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

Well, let's get into some of the details of the event. So we're what about a couple of weeks out now? So when is it? Yes.

SPEAKER_03 11:33

Well, so technically it starts July 16th. That's the uh five o'clock. We'll have our corn shucking. Uh, if you ever want to get back to your Midwest roots, I encourage you to come out. We'll be shucking about I don't know how many thousands of years of corn. Usually about 10,000 years of corn.

SPEAKER_00 11:48

And this is this is that great introduction for somebody that's never done it. And how do you start to practice? How can I help? Yeah. But there's a lot of corn and a lot of shucks that have to come off of it.

SPEAKER_02 11:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:00

But people just show up because it's been ingrained in, and you'll hear families that are out there, and there's two or three, sometimes four generations of the same family is sitting there together around a picnic table, and this has just become part of their summer. It's like we all come back, you know. People that are out of town, they'll come back this weekend. We all come out and hang out at the park and help them shuck the corn, and then we come back and enjoy the festival. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:26

You have a uh preferred shucking technique.

SPEAKER_00 12:28

Oh, I'm unstoppable.

SPEAKER_01 12:30

You're unstoppable.

SPEAKER_03 12:32

Dave's got a little special technique. We won't uh reveal any secrets. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:36

So he's gonna when we get into the competitive stuff, I can't give away.

SPEAKER_03 12:40

Yeah, you've got to come out to uh the shucking event to learn his technique. But yeah, that'll be uh Thursday at five out there at South Park.

SPEAKER_01 12:47

And you do a competition for that most in five minutes or something?

SPEAKER_03 12:52

Yeah, I think like like Dave was mentioning, though, with the families, there's the JCs, there's several families that are like here's multi-generational families that are involved. And I wouldn't be surprised if there's some competition between thinking about the Frankies and the Moors and the Sauciers, those families in there. And I think one thing with the JCs too, not to derail this, to talk about the festival, but JCs, we make the work fun. Don't get me wrong, you'll sweat, you'll be tired, but there's times where I've left there and I'm just I should be just dead tired and I leave and I'm I I don't even know. I just work because I just had fun with shooting the breeze, having fun, doing the work. It's good people. So uh that'll be Thursday night, Friday, um, four o'clock. Uh we've got 4 30 is when we'll do the Chatham Chamber ribbon cutting for the sweet corn festival. Um, usually get some different uh politicians, community leaders out there for that as well. Always a good time just to kick off the event. That's when we'll uh nominate or announce the volunteer of the year award. Um always a pretty cool celebration. Um shortly after that, we'll move in to uh the Chatham Sweetcorn pageant, Little Miss Sweetcorn there. So that's always entertaining. And then from there we'll move on. I think we've got, I mean, what, four or five different uh bands playing? Five five bands over the two week.

SPEAKER_00 14:02

Well, six years. Six yeah, gotta count Griffin because I think this young kid is incredible. So Friday night there there's two bands. It it opens with Menace to Sobriety and then Revel in Red. Both of those, you know, it's it's gonna be a a fun year. Last year was our 50th anniversary of the Sweet Corn Festival. This is 51, so we're kind of looking, you know, like this is the start of the next 50. Right. So a a lot of the music is based in that. It's that rock anthems, the the things you would hear if you were out in a big open-air concert. Stuff you want to dance to, stuff that everybody knows and wants to sing along with. So a lot of that coming, and a lot of that definitely on Friday night with those two groups. Uh they come out and they just have a good time. That's what we want people to do is come out and have fun with everything that we do. Between those sets, we have a young Chatham up and coming superstar, Griffin, who this will mark his third year, but I remember the first year that he did it, and he might have been all of like four feet tall, climbing up on a stool with his guitar, and it'll pop up there and just start playing and singing to these large crowds in between sets. So we we get this young, I mean, he's a star.

SPEAKER_03 15:17

He's really steals the show. I think it kind of backfired like having him in between sets because normally between sets, people are leaving to go get drinks or whatever. And it's like I don't want to miss, I don't want to miss it. Really, though, he gets up there and it's like, holy crap, here's this. I mean, how old is he now? I I've lost track. I think he's maybe seventh or eighth grade at this point. So I mean he he's that young. Yeah, he's it's this isn't like a like a 20-year-old guy we're talking about.

SPEAKER_00 15:39

This is a a kid, wow, not like young to us, like we normally yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:46

He's very, very good. Um, so that's always always a good addition, I think. Uh that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 15:51

Yeah, Saturday during the day, we so we start off early in the morning. Uh we have a 5K, which is the registration for that 5k is is up now. Uh of course you can get your t-shirts if you're registered early enough for those things. Finish your medals for all those that are involved in it. Uh, but that gets us going. And we found the best way to make people want to eat and drink all day is to make sure they get a good workout.

SPEAKER_01 16:13

You get a good workout first thing. That's a good idea. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:16

And then we get a lot of the community groups that that are around Chatham. So displays by like PowerWorks Fitness or the Dance Studio. They'll come out and they'll perform. You have a a preview of some of the songs that you hear later in Munis Frozen. So those kids get a chance to get out on a stage and sing some of the stuff to a crowd rather than the empty arena for us. So a little extra practice and a way to practice it differently, but we all get a treat because we get a preview of what's going to be at the Muni show, and those kids are always fantastic with everything that they put up with.

SPEAKER_01 16:50

You mean the lay of the land? What does it look like? Somebody somebody walks up, what's the layout of everything?

SPEAKER_03 16:54

Yes. Uh you enter enter South Park or or you know, the community park. It's one way. It's normally, you know, two-way, but we change it to one way. We've got uh whole unit of JCs that are coordinating the parking and and everything, and then thanks to some help from uh Civil Air Patrol um that come in and and you know, use them walkie-talkies and really coordinate get you all parked there on the hill in the grass, and then walk up, and then we've got the stage there. We've got a vendor village. Uh we've got about, I think, over a hundred different uh vendors uh that are gonna be all there, all sorts of everything from get last year I was fascinated. There's a guy that was making uh some cutting out like steel into different designs, uh different artists. I know Crafted Stag was out there, various vendors out there, so that's always cool to check out. And then back to the left, we've got uh what we call our Kid Village, a bunch of bounce houses set up and gated off to make sure everything stays there. And then we've got we call it our pirate bar. Uh it's a uh mixed drink, usually rum, rum or long drink. World world famous rum punch.

SPEAKER_02 17:57

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:57

Okay, all right. Vodka lemonade to die for. Yeah. Not the inscream summer festival like spiked lemonade. Right.

SPEAKER_03 18:05

That's true. Yeah. And then we've got uh this year kind of excited, got two beer uh vendors this year. So last year was only uh we just had X amount, and I think it was the Anheuser fell out of that, fell out. This year we'll be able to have those. So that's if you know Central Illinois, you know that Bushlight and Michelobe and those go pretty quick at summer festivals. Uh so excited to have that this year, and then back behind that uh is where we've got the food, kind of like a food hall, if you will, big tent, and that's where you can get, you know, the Boy Scouts do a great job of of helping get all the food out, but then the JC's, we've got there's a I don't know how many, probably a crew of I don't know, 15 guys, 10, 15 guys that have been that have been doing they're back there just sweat, just I mean at 120 degrees back there and smile on their face, having fun, grilling out, and they've got all all the different meats on the grill and the corn. There's a whole separate corn.

SPEAKER_01 18:59

Burgers, dogs, ribeyes, what are we talking?

SPEAKER_00 19:02

Yes, yeah, hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwurst, pork chops, barbecue, ribeyes, corn boiled with our own special techniques that that again nobody nobody can quite replicate. It's like grandma's chocolate chip cookies. It shouldn't be that hard, but for some reason it tastes different at grandma's house. Yeah, the sweet corn, the boiled sweet corn at the park by the JC's just tastes different than what you'll get at home.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

You want to walk us through that technique real quick, Dave?

SPEAKER_00 19:30

Well, it really starts with the fact that the corn that was shocked on Thursday was picked on Thursday. Right.

SPEAKER_01 19:37

Super.

SPEAKER_00 19:37

So they they pull it right out of the field and it comes right to from the field to the park. There's no stirrup in between. And we have it out and serve within the next 24 to 48 hours. It is as fresh as it comes. Right. Some of it is like the the love that your dad has in that cast iron skillet, it builds over time.

SPEAKER_02 19:56

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:57

Yeah. So next to the main uh festival grounds, you've got the ancient athletics uh groups. So they'll be doing everything from the kettle toss and the keg toss and the thing where they launch the big launch. Sheets, cavers, yeah. I mean, you're doing all the all the ancient stuff.

SPEAKER_01 20:13

Uh is that a I'm not familiar with them. Is that a group that's in Chatham or what is that?

SPEAKER_00 20:17

So it's it's an actual competition. Okay. So the ancient athletics group that they run it is kind of local for this competition. A lot of people compete nationally and and go through and do these events and run through the whole Scottish Highland games and and do it. If you've never seen it, it is incredible to watch them when they got in person.

SPEAKER_03 20:39

Yes, is insane.

SPEAKER_00 20:41

To to see it, and they're throwing these heavy weights, but the distances are flipping the caber, which to everybody else looks like they're flipping a telephone pole. Uh, but don't tell them it's a telephone pole.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

It is just about to say that, so I'll keep my mouth shut on that one.

SPEAKER_00 20:56

It is a caber. And if you want the distinction, it's slightly tapered at the end. So oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 21:02

I I think last year there was somebody or two people might have set world records at that event. And last year was actually the women's Eastern U.S.

SPEAKER_00 21:10

Championship.

SPEAKER_03 21:12

So I mean, so it's very it's it's serious.

SPEAKER_01 21:14

So it's not just random chatham guys going out there, random chatdom ladies going out there tossing. That's it's legit.

SPEAKER_00 21:21

You'll see you'll see some logo. We have some local athletes who are impressive. Sure.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

But yeah, I mean they it's a true competition, not just a fun yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:31

These guys, they're serious about it, and it's uh and then we've also got a rugby demonstration this year as well. So they'll be out there doing a rugby scrub uh scrimmage. Cornhole, cornhole tournaments, cornhole tournament, pickleball tournaments. Yep. This yeah, this year's the first year for the pickleball tournament. Now we're excited about that launch and excited to see where that goes.

SPEAKER_01 21:49

Uh those courts are still are relatively.

SPEAKER_03 21:52

Oh, yeah, brand new. Yeah, so very nice.

SPEAKER_00 21:54

Now we can now we have enough courts to house a uh tournament. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:58

And that that's something too that the JC. Was involved with was getting and providing some of that. That was a lot of money that went into that, but the JC's helped provide some for that. And then I think Saturday, probably one of the most unique events and probably least talked about that should be talked about event in central Illinois.

SPEAKER_00 22:18

Yeah, we can we can talk about runs and pickleball and cornhole and the ancient athletics, but for true athletic prowess. There's a cow chip throw.

SPEAKER_03 22:28

There we go. Yep. Oh yeah. And uh the other day I was I was telling somebody about the cow chip throw, and they're like, What do you what's a what's a cow chip? And I was like, just think about it. Think about it. And about 20 seconds later, I could see the wheels were finally clicked. And they're like, Oh, you guys do that? And I was like, Well, actually, about two weeks ago, we had a whole probably 15, 20 JC members went out to uh Dickey Farms. Uh a JC member went out to his farm and collected the cow chips. And thanks to another JC member, Dan Lund, he made a a drying rack that's some wood with metal grates.

SPEAKER_01 22:59

And I was gonna ask the preparation process for the chips.

SPEAKER_03 23:02

So it's uh it is it is very sophisticated. Yeah, more way more sophisticated than one would uh one would like to admit a story scooping one off the ground and let's just toss it.

SPEAKER_00 23:12

Yeah, dry, dry is very critical. Yeah. When when you're gonna undertake something like that. So obviously you'll be there to compete this year.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna throw one. Yeah, I'll throw one.

SPEAKER_03 23:20

You should. We we have plenty of hand sanitizer after, so it's uh it's not that bad. But yeah, we've got there's different age divisions, boys, girls, and then the adults and the kids can do it also. Uh it's always just kind of fun, a fun little, you know, name. And then what Dan Lund's got hit, what's his official title? That's kind of a scary question with him. But he's a uh he's something with a cow chip, though, isn't he? What's he's got some official state title or something that it's probably self-given. Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 23:45

Yeah, official. I mean, we're the official Illinois State Championship Cow Chip throw. Yeah, that that maybe that's what it was.

SPEAKER_03 23:51

Sometimes you just gotta take it if it's not uh if it hasn't been claimed, you gotta claim it yourself.

SPEAKER_00 23:56

If you own it and the fact that we've owned that title for this competition for decades now. Come on. The the cowchip throw has actually been featured on Conan O'Brien's show. Really? The Chatham JC's he flew it out there, flew flew a cowchip in a pizza box in TSA. TSA didn't exist. Yeah, that previously if you watch the video and see the attire, you're like, oh TSA definitely. If he was dressed like that, TSA was definitely not a thing. Right. But yeah, in an overhead storage in an airplane, in a pizza box, all the way out to beyond Conan's show. The clips are on YouTube. You can still find it if you search for Dave Shaw of the Chatham JCs on Conan O'Brien.

SPEAKER_01 24:35

So he was the one, okay. So Dave, all right, he's the one who's gonna be a good one. He was the president at the time.

SPEAKER_03 24:39

Um and Conan threw it, threw it at a mascot of himself. Or no, I think me and Dave might have threw it at his face. At a mascot uh mascot face of Conan. So wow.

SPEAKER_01 24:48

Do you guys have a personal best? Your your distance?

SPEAKER_00 24:51

I have topped uh triple digits, so I can I can get on the right day with the right dryness level if it's ship. It's a lot of science. Uh you have to know when conditions, humidity, dew points all play into how you throw it. But I've hit 130 plus, which is hefty. I can't do it every year.

SPEAKER_03 25:12

That's a toss there. You had rotator cuff surgery after that.

SPEAKER_01 25:14

But I did I've had Tommy John twice. How do you throw that thing? Do you throw it like a frisbee? Do you kind of just whip it? Yeah, what do you do? I mean, we see all types.

SPEAKER_03 25:26

See it all. I mean, there's the the psycho that goes for the baseball throw, the there's the uh the the classic frisbee, the tomahawk. Um I'm a kind of a three-quarter guy.

SPEAKER_01 25:35

Okay, I was gonna ask, how'd you get your 130? Kind of a three.

SPEAKER_00 25:37

All right. Well, I studied I we talked about it before. I learned how to fly, studied aerodynamics, put it into play.

SPEAKER_01 25:44

Come on. Did you ever think it would come into play with throwing cow grabs?

SPEAKER_00 25:49

Of all the things that I've done with a pilot's license, that's probably the most important thing that I've ever applied those techniques to cow chip throw.

SPEAKER_01 25:56

Love it, love it.

SPEAKER_00 25:57

If people want to sign up for that, what do they do? Show up. So we we start that at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Be there at two o'clock, you'll see where the cow chip throwing arena is established over there to the kind of the south side of the bike path. Walk right over there, trailer full of of uh ammunition, and pick your favorites and get signed up and and jump in the competition.

SPEAKER_01 26:22

So I gotta know, does everybody get the same size chip? Are they standardized chips?

SPEAKER_03 26:29

It's it's Mother Nature.

SPEAKER_01 26:30

I mean, it yeah, there's didn't know if you cut them down or something.

SPEAKER_03 26:33

No, no, no. That's and some people will get, I mean, there's people that get out there and they'll pick them up, move them around, f see how much they weigh and feel them. Not that's not a good one. This one will crumble too easily, or and you can't take just any.

SPEAKER_00 26:44

I mean, you can't whittle them down too far. There are obviously something this critical. There are rules. So if your cow chip will not sit on a toilet seat without falling through, it's too small.

SPEAKER_01 26:58

It's that big. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:59

Yeah, they're pretty big.

SPEAKER_01 27:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 27:00

So it's got to, it's got, and of course, we have officially sanctioned measuring devices to make sure that your chip is big enough to qualify.

SPEAKER_01 27:09

I wouldn't have thought it was that big.

SPEAKER_00 27:10

You can't have any shenanigans with something this serious.

SPEAKER_01 27:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:14

It's coming straight from our village president.

SPEAKER_01 27:16

Right. Love it. Love it. Yep.

SPEAKER_03 27:19

So yeah, that's that's Saturday. That's always a fun. I always encourage people if if you're gonna come out of the sweet corn, come out, get a bite to eat, get a drink, come watch the cow chip throw. It's a trip and a half just to watch.

SPEAKER_01 27:29

I mean, that's that's even more impressive that you went 130 on that big of a I mean, I'm thinking something that you could almost just, you know, eight, ten inches maybe like that, and you're flinging, but that's a that's a big old disc there.

SPEAKER_03 27:40

Pretty good. Sometimes you'll throw it and it'll, you know, as soon as it leaves your hand, it just all falls apart. And but yeah, that's a good, good fun central Illinois. You know, I I I wouldn't tell anybody else I throw cow chips outside of the sweet corn festival, but you know, practice moving going up to it or anything.

SPEAKER_00 27:57

I tell everybody. Everyone, what are you guys doing?

SPEAKER_01 28:00

That's my elevator speech. I add that into my 30-seconder that I give everybody. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_00 28:04

As soon as they grab my hand. Have I told you about the cow chip? That's right.

SPEAKER_03 28:07

So it's how he won the election. Yeah. That's what he ran on his platform, was over 130 feet cowchip toss. And so you win votes in Chatham.

SPEAKER_00 28:15

There you go. So that that kind of we kind of fill the the afternoon up with community demonstrations. Obviously, the food and the drink is out and available the whole time. Uh as the evening starts to wear on, we bring the musical acts back out. So this year we'll start the uh the first main stage performance starts at two. So while you're throwing cat chips, you're gonna listen to Silas Tackery.

SPEAKER_02 28:37

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:37

So solo act, kind of that neat stuff. I love a guy that can sit and build an entire song in front of you. So Silas does some of that with looping his own music back in. He's followed up with soul experience. So Saturday we can ease you and move all the way through. So you go from that Americana kind of folk acoustic guitar into some solo music, some rhythm blues, a little bit of jazz touch into everything that Soul Experience does. Wildly talented group of musicians. It's great background music to sit and have, you know, your your first drink of the evening, have dinner out there. It's just a great, like you feel good listening to that kind of music. And then we'll close out and and really let it loose with the Brandy Christin band into the evening and and up until the point where we close up. So again, back into that kind of party, sing, dance, get into it, and and enjoy being with everybody out in the community.

SPEAKER_03 29:30

And come be a great weekend. Throughout that whole time is food, drink, you name it. I mean, it's all all going. We also have non-alcoholic drinks as well. We we do have a uh Pepsi tent, so there's soda and then and water and Gatorade and all that out there. And then we've got a couple. So a lot of different options out there for anybody, really.

SPEAKER_01 29:50

There you go. You mentioned the 5k earlier. What's the deadline for the registration for that if they want the t-shirt and all the stuff like now today, right?

SPEAKER_03 30:00

As soon as possible. I believe I believe I saw something about July 6th, maybe, maybe next Monday. So coming up real quick, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:10

Sooner the better. Always guarantees it. Always make sure you get your size uh in the metal's cool as well.

SPEAKER_03 30:15

It looks got a big ear of corn on it.

SPEAKER_00 30:18

Yeah, uh, so and this is this is a young event, and and and somebody in there, it was a newer JC's, saw the festival, and like we see in so many things, is like, oh, I I have an idea. How can I help? I think this will help. I want to bring this event and add it onto the sweet corn festival and and do something new, and and off we went. You you experiment and you learn, and and see Gerald makes this thing bigger and better every single year. And I I can't run, I have to save all my energy for the cow chip throw that afternoon. But it's a good warm-up for us because we'll man in intersection and and arms up to stop cars is a good way to stretch.

SPEAKER_01 30:54

I like that. I like that. So outside of the the cow chip competition, which is obviously you guys' favorite, but what's your number one, what's your favorite thing about the event in general?

SPEAKER_03 31:05

I'll give you the cliche answer. And my favorite thing about it all is just the money that we raise and what it goes to. But about the event, my favorite part, I guess kind of two answers as now that growing up and going to the JC's, like I always enjoyed the food and the music was always fun when I was my younger. But now that I'm I am a JC and volunteering, and I'm gonna spend 48 hours at that. Literally, I mean, I think I'll leave, probably end up by the time we get done on that Friday night, I'll be out there by one o'clock and I'll be back for the 5K at at 7 a.m. So spent a lot of time out there, but I think it's now it's the camaraderie of of that. Yes, you're working, but you see so many people, um, whether you're volunteering with them or in the community that are out at the event. But I think most importantly is it's what we do with the money that that is is what's so impactful and it's much more than than just a party. You know, I know we've mentioned all these bands and the activities we have. That's all great and it's all for the community. But when you come out, just please know that your money is going to a good cause. It's not going to just a party, if you will. We are, like Dave's mentioned, we're the close for kids. We gave what three or four scholarships, four or five scholarships. Scholarships to high school students every year. Every year we've got different youth groups, youth organizations come and hey, I'm trying to do this project. Uh, whether it's an Eagle Scout, Girl Scout, speech team, you know, anything like that. We're we're more than happy to help. And I think what's cool too is that yes, the JCs are a big part of who's running the sweet corn. But we also call on the the Civil Air Patrol, and there's some youth baseball and softball and soccer teams that come out and help man shift. The Boy Scouts are picking up trash, and it's really uh like you talked about, it's dominate, not compete.

SPEAKER_00 32:47

You talk about that wraparound and where it comes from in chat. So many of the groups that come and help us pull off the sweet corn festival area are groups that we've helped support during the year. And that's that's where it builds. So a lot of these are youth-based organizations, whether it's a uh a sports team or whether it's the athletic boosters or the scouting groups, civil air patrol, these are a lot of youth-based organizations. So when Nick talks about growing up with the sweet corn festival, we're growing people up with the sweet corn festival and finding ways to get them involved as soon as we can and show them that the more you support your community, the more your community supports you as well. Favorite kind of stuff about this festival for me. And I guess I I finally got like a better way to describe it because everybody can relate to it now. So we have the World Cup going on in the US right now. And what's been most fascinating and I think heartwarming about the World Cup stuff, aside from I'm a huge soccer fan and I love the games, but watching uh the other countries come in and all of their fans and the tourism that's coming around with it, and seeing them experience the United States and realize we're not what's on the news. Right. The people here are not the national politics, they're not the state level pol, they're none of that. We're real people, we have great stories, and we're a lot of fun to be around. The sweet corn festival is that on a smaller scale, is it's that opportunity and and it becomes that spot. And the reason people come back to see their families that weekend is that's the spot where I get together with my whole town, and I remember why the people here are so great to live near and why I enjoy them. And I get to see all of them and and be surrounded and just have a good time with everybody, and that reminder that we're not the noise that fills our ears and eyes constantly. We're real people and we're a lot of fun to be around.

SPEAKER_01 34:45

Come on, looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_03 34:46

So, what I'll I'm gonna ask you a question off the cuff here, Dave. Why should I thought this was this is my podcast now? Yeah, Robert, thanks for coming. Uh no, Dave, why why would you recommend that somebody join the Chatham JCs?

SPEAKER_00 35:01

So I am, and I tried to do this math earlier today in case this question came up. I am 17 or 18 years into being part of the JC's and being involved in it. And that's the biggest thing that I take out of it is I've always lived my life is find an opportunity to give something back, make your community, make those around you have it one step, and I call it plus one, plus one of where I grew up. I was afforded a lot of things in my childhood, and that helped me get to where I am. So when you build a community and when you build friendships and relationships with people, how do you offer one more thing to it? And in so many ways and in so many different spots, the JCs offer that for people. So whatever your interest is and where you like to give or participate in an event, the odds are in Chatham the JCs are involved in it. If you like sports, the JCs are involved in every Friday night lights for the gun. We're there, we're contributing to to make that event successful. We cook for Special Olympics. Yeah, if if your passion is in giving to children with disabilities and providing more options, we cook for the Special Olympics and we get involved in that. If you're the type that likes to get involved with trying to provide basic necessities for people, we we do that. We're we're out with the clothes for kids, we're involved with that. Thanksgiving stuff. Put a meal on somebody's table. You mentioned Titan Fuel earlier. Guess what? The JCs are involved in that, and they get out there and we pack bags and help Titan Fuel do that. So all of those things pop up. If if you like to have a good time, we're really good at having a good time. And even even some of that stuff that we talked about early with what a JC's club traditionally is, is building leadership skills and stuff. These events are uh organized and ran by JCs, and there is a chair or two or three, depending on the size of the event, for everything that we do. So you get even those opportunities to say, I've got an idea for a community event. I got out, started trivia nights, and I've been stuck doing them for 15 years. But that was not an event that the JCs had. And they said, Hey, here's an opportunity. People like to do this, they enjoy coming out and do it. We can do this. So now JCs have a trivia night every single year. And those come out, and and that's we have a euchre tournament that is slowly getting bigger and bigger every year because somebody said, My interest is I really love this game and I want to share with people, and I think there's enough out there that we can start to have a night where this is what we do, and we invite people in to meet us, be part of what we're doing, get a little taste of the JCs, pull member here, and then when somebody clicks on it, says, There's these other people I want to be with. So that's what I take out of it. There you go. In a small, succinct summary.

SPEAKER_01 37:56

How does somebody join? Is there a cost? What is it? What does it look like if somebody wants to be a part of the JC's?

SPEAKER_00 38:02

Dirty. I mean, we're at $40 a year. $40 a year. Your first year. $40 a year. First year is free. Well, trying real hard to teach you this. It's $40 a year, but if you join now, I'll cover your first year.

SPEAKER_03 38:16

I thought Dave was being a real nice guy when he covered my first year and about 15 other people he's covered now. And joining the JCs, like Dave was mentioning, is you can be there is no there's no commitment, if you will. You know, I mean, obviously, if you're gonna say you're gonna do something, do it. But we do want you to help with the sweet corn festival. Yeah, the sweet corn is the sweet corn is all hands on deck. I mean, my wife already knows that, and that's our anniversary weekend, and she she knows that it's that's not gonna see a whole lot of me. So I gotta make sure we do stuff the weekend before. But you there's no there's no commitment. So if you're we want you to be out at the sweet corn, but you know, let's say if that's what you're passionate about and that's all you do, that's fine. If you all you want to do is work Oktoberfest, if that's your passion, that's fine. Like go on, do it, you know. And that's one thing I think about the the JCs, it's that's been I think is so cool is if you have a a passion, just put it out there to the group. And if it's obviously within reason, people will will support you and promote it and get people get the word out. And it's a cool way, like you mentioned Cheryl doing the 5K. I mean, she's absolutely killing it doing that. And I don't you don't want any of us doing that, organizing a f the amount of work that goes into all that is is impressive. So it's like until she said it.

SPEAKER_00 39:29

We had a bunch of people in the club was like, yeah, if it's 5k, I'm driving. Right. Right, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:34

Welcome to welcome to Central On.

SPEAKER_00 39:36

Yeah, it's too far to right.

SPEAKER_01 39:38

Well, let's give everybody the details again. Dates, times, all the stuff for here in a couple weeks.

SPEAKER_03 39:43

Yep. So uh July 16th, uh, Thursday, July 16th is when we'll have the corn chucking. That's at 5 p.m. Come on out, bring your family, friends. It's a good time. And then uh Friday, July 17th is when we'll have uh 4 30 is when we'll do the ribbon cutting. And really shortly after that's when the ball gets rolling. So go home, you know, grab the kids, get changed after work, come on out to South Park on Friday, right after work, and then plan on being there all weekend because we we really do have stuff 7.30 Saturday morning. We're starting with the 5K and we'll go till 11:30 at night when the Brandy Christmas band wraps up. And that's when that's when the real fun starts is the the cleanup. We all focus on the setup, and we'll be out there all week before setting up and getting the tents and the beer trailers and everything. But the teardown is is is where the real work after the two two long days of it. But luckily we've got uh again back to the community. We've got a football team, different sports teams, different groups come out and we'll throw in hey, here's 20, 25 young football players. Okay, here's heavy stuff that needs carry.

SPEAKER_00 40:47

There's nothing better to see on a Sunday morning than the offensive line show up and say, What do you need us to push? Right. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 40:54

Getting all the picnic tables back and and and everything like that. We start preparing for the event. I don't know, may mid-May, in terms of like actually like really getting hard work getting prepared. But I mean it's it's a year-round thing, more or less. By the time you're talking about organizing the tent rentals and bands and the vendors and cherry on with uh doing the vendors, is she's done an incredible job with managing all those.

SPEAKER_00 41:16

By the time it opens, you would you have no clue how much she's done and and how much everybody in the club has done to put this together and you walk out to just have a great weekend with people.

SPEAKER_03 41:25

Yeah, no. And that's what I think what's cool is that nobody, nobody that I've seen has ever been trying to take credit for for any of that. There's nobody that's coming in all high and minded. Right, I did this, I did that. Yeah, exactly. It is everybody is just all hands on deck. It doesn't matter if you've been a JC for uh a day or a 15 years. How how can I help?

SPEAKER_00 41:44

Here I am. So find one of us. We'll all have shirts on, you know, usually bright yellow or navy blue, and they either say event staff or cake security. So we're kind of easy to spot a JC while you're out at the festival. Find one of us, ask us how to get involved. We'll show you, we'll let you know when our meetings are, how to get involved with the club, put you in contact with our membership coordinator and jot some information down for you and get you in our loop. Look, we love having all the people there. The the more people we have, the more events and other groups we're able to support. And it's not always and it's not always funding that people need. Sometimes they just need manpower. Of course.

SPEAKER_03 42:23

We have groups that reach out all the time for hey, can we use we need five eight foot tables or we need some burnt some crock pots or you know, whatever it may be. I mean, it's yeah, we're the JCs is is it's incredible what the the power that we really have.

SPEAKER_00 42:38

We just we just had a golf tournament in Springfield last week. And shockingly, the JCs were involved. You guys were there too. They they reached out to us. This is the what would I say, 11th year that I've done it, and the JCs have been involved in it. But Kate reached out after the first year that they played in here and said we need some help and and some manpower and somebody that's organized and reliable that can help us get rid of the garbage bags and keep the place clean. And and JC said, Yeah, we've got that. So 11 years later, and we we staff that thing from from the time it opens, the first players arrive on Monday all the way through the time the last fans have left on Sunday. We're out there, and that's just manpower and and reliability. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 43:23

You guys are everywhere. That's JC's, we we show up. I think it is is that your new tagline? JC's we show up. I like that. Well Dave Dave did have a good one the other day with uh with the sweet corn.

SPEAKER_00 43:34

Here's to the next yeah, this is this is the this is here's to the next fifty. This is this is how we start. We had a big year last year when we got to a milestone, and you know, and and we're not gonna linger on that. That's right. We're off on to the next 50. Let's go.

SPEAKER_01 43:46

Here's to another 50. So is the schedule posted somewhere? Facebook, website, or something like that?

SPEAKER_03 43:51

Yeah, Chatham JC's Facebook uh is gonna be the best place uh to find any of that information. We're active on there, promoting the schedule, the events, the bands, all that'll be be on their socials. And then outside of the sweet corn, yeah, just just follow the Facebook page at Chat MJC's.

SPEAKER_00 44:06

We got you'll be entertained all year long, but you'll certainly know what's going on this weekend.

SPEAKER_03 44:10

Right. Yeah. There you go. Yeah, this is a a busy week for the these next couple weeks are uh are a busy, long, fun and rewarding couple weeks.

SPEAKER_01 44:20

So looking forward to it. Appreciate you coming in and telling us all about it. Absolutely. Thanks for having us. For all y'all out there, make sure if you go, look for Nick and Dave, have them uh help you pick out your cow disc or your cow chip, sorry, cow chip. They're the experts, know what they're doing. I know I'm gonna find them and say, hey, which one should I use here? I don't want one falling apart in my hand or anything. So but until then, we're gonna let them get back to elevating Springfield. But for the rest of y'all, we'll be right back. Hey, Springfield, when it comes to reliable, high-quality roofing, you don't want to leave things to chance. That's why you should reach out to Acosta Angeli Ruffing, your local roofing expert serving Springfield and surrounding communities, from quick, dependable repairs to full replacement, from residential to commercial, they are your trusted pros. Call them today at 217-993-2748 or visit their website to book your free quote and inspection. Don't wait. A little leak now could lead to major damage later. Trust the local experts, protect your home, and get peace of mind with Acosta Angeli Roofing. Well, thank you for joining us today, everybody, on another segment of Communities Grow Together on the Elevate Springfield Podcast. Thank you again to David Hilst, American Family Insurance Agency, for partnering with us on this segment. A take what you learn today. You bring the discipline and follow through, and together, that's right, y'all. We're gonna Elevate Springfield. Be great. Looking for expert tree care with hometown integrity, look no further than Sangamon Tree Service. They're your trusted local pros, delivering quality workmanship, exceptional customer service, and fair, honest pricing. Every time. Whether it's trimming, removal, or storm cleanup, their team brings professionalism and care to every job, big or small. Call the name your neighbors trust, Sangman Tree Service, or visit them today at SangmanTreeService.com. Sangman Tree Service, rooted in quality, built on trust.