47th North Ridgeville Corn Fest opens with posthumous honor for lifelong resident

NORTH RIDGEVILLE — The 47th annual North Ridgeville Corn Festival opened Friday evening with two Golden Kernel awards honoring longtime residents and volunteers in the city. Corn Festival Committee President John Butkowski presented the first award posthumously to Bill Gardner, who died June 30. Gardner's widow, Teresa, and daughter, Katarina, accepted the award on his behalf. Gardner was recognized for his service on countless boards, including the Lorain County Public Health Board, Lorain county Port Authority Board and Regional Airport Board, as well as his work as a member of the North Ridgeville Republican Club and the Veterans of Foreign War Post 9871. He served as a City Councilman for more than a decade and was an usher at St. Julie Billiart Catholic Church in North Ridgeville. Gardner was a Vietnam Veteran, having served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. His daughter thanked the committee for the honor, noting her dad always said he'd lived in a lot of places, including overseas, but wanted to raise a family in North Ridgeville. He loved the people and the community and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to see it grow and prosper, she said. The second Golden Kernel recipient was longtime Councilman Dennis Boose, D-Ward 2. Boose served as president of the city baseball program, a former coach in the city soccer league, a former pack leader of North Ridgeville Cub Scouts Pack 100 and 153, former president of the North Ridgeville Parks and Rec Department, a 24-year-member and former president of the Rotary Club, current member and former president of the Lions Club, an officer with the Knights of Columbus and an active member of St. Peter's Church in North Ridgeville, among other community service groups. Boose dedicated his award to his family and anyone in the audience who volunteers their time — be it in an organization like the Lions Club, as a foster parent or an active church parishioner. The Golden Kernel recipients also received proclamations from Mayor Kevin Corcoran and state Rep. Gayle Manning, R-North Ridgeville, on behalf of herself and state Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville. Butkowski noted this year's festival was not without its challenges — including an increase in prices and a lack of amusement rides — but was excited to see the weekend's event include the annual corn eating contest after a two-year hiatus. For a full list of events this weekend, visit www.nrcornfest.org. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.