Prior to the Blessed Sacrament Athletic Boosters involvement, the City of Lakeside Civic Club had a regular event, where roasted corn was a feature. This event continued for many years. Upon the discontinuation of this event, the Civic Club no longer had any use for the large grills that they owned. Earl List conceived the notion that the Blessed Sacrament Athletic Boosters should take over the event as a fundraiser. He organized the use of the grills, which were eventually donated to the organization. Thus, the annual BSS Athletic Boosters Corn Roast was born.
The Annual Corn Roast was founded by Jim Wissman and Bob Hinkel and began August 1972. Joe and Maria Matracia were the earlier donors of the corn. The Rice family & Blue Grass Quality Meats have always graciously provided the meat for the event, ranging from hot dogs, brats, and metts. Over the years, the event has grown into a Northern Kentucky staple, earmarking the end of the summer festival season. It is held annually on the Friday evening prior to the start of the Blessed Sacrament school year.
The annual Corn Roast is held on the Friday evening prior to the start of the Blessed Sacrament school year.
Early on, each coaching staff in every sport was responsible for volunteering/running a booth. The event has grown to where now, over 400 volunteers are necessary and involved in the success of the event.
The funds generated from earlier renditions of the Corn Roast funded the construction of the baseball and soccer fields that continue to be used by children throughout the Northern Kentucky community. Bill Miller, then Director of the Diocesan Catholic Children’s Home, was instrumental in helping Boosters get approval from the Diocese for the construction of the ball fields. Wayne Carlisle of Carlisle Construction generously helped construct the baseball fields with the fill dirt from the construction of the Erlanger Kmart. Jerry Collins and Marty Kamer spearheaded a fund raiser for the construction of the soccer fields and purchase of the tractor we continue to use. Today, these ball fields are used not only by the Blessed Sacrament community, but the Northern Kentucky Soccer League (NKSL) and District 28 Knothole.
The funds raised from this event continue to be used to improve the quality of our programs and facilities. In recent years, funds raised from the Corn Roast have been used to:
- Installation of a batting cage on the DCCH grounds (Spring 2007),
- Installation of an irrigation system for the DCCH soccer fields (Fall 2008),
- Installation of a fence outlining the parking lot at Blessed Sacrament School (Summer 2009),
- Recurring maintenance on the school gymnasium,
- Construction of a new playground on the Blessed Sacrament School grounds (June 2010),
The funds raised from this event continue to be used to improve the quality of our programs and facilities.
Please continue to support the Athletic Boosters organization by attending and volunteering at the Annual Corn Roast, scheduled for Friday, August 19, 2011. If you would like to become a Corporate Sponsor for the event, please click here.
Thank you for your continued support of our organization.