T-R photo by Margaret Thomsen. National American Legion Auxiliary President Nicole Paustian Clapp returned to her hometown to lead the parade of vehicles in the Gladbrook Corn "covicCornstock 2020 Parade. She is pictured with her stuffed ear of corn, Cornelius" and is the daughter of Darrell and Jeanne Paustian of Gladbrook.

Gladbrook area residents rallied together and held the 98th annual Corn Carnival Parade.

There were around 50 vehicles in the Cornstock Corn Carnival 2020 Parade. It was all done according to Social Distancing with decorated vehicles, local emergency services and Tama County Sheriff’s deputies participating.

The event was sponsored by the Gladbrook Corn Carnival Corporation.

“The parade went off fine and it was fun. It was something to connect us all to the weekend Carnival would have been held. And it was all done safely and we made it before the rain,” said President Terri Luehring.

The story told is that the parade has been held consecutively for 98 years with one year taken off sometime during World War II and that the parade has never been rained out.

T-R photo by Margaret Thomsen.The Cornstock Parade Color Guard rode in a military Jeep dating back to World War II and driven in Italy by the late Martin Burene. Pictured are Gladbrook Mayor Keith Sash and Corn Carnival Corporation President Terri Luering conferring with Gladbrook Legion Color Guard members Roger Sievers, Terry Schmitz, Loran Frerichs and Dennis Haack.

Color Guard leading the parade were members of the Gladbrook American Legion. They were riding in a Jeep originally from the Bruene Family. According to Jeff Bruene his Father Martin and Uncle Morris owned the Jeep. The vehicle has a long, long history, dating back to World War II when Martin Bruene was serving in the military in Italy and he drove the Jeep. It has been restored and combined with another Jeep owned by a businessman from Lincoln.

National American Legion Auxiliary President Nicole Paustian Clapp led the parade. She is a Gladbrook native and the daughter of Darrell and Jeanne Paustian. Area residents decorated their cars with positive messages and a number of vintage vehicles and businesses joined the parade.

The 98th Gladbrook Corn Carnival is history. We now look forward to the 99th Corn Carnival to be held June 17 to 20, 2021.