Raw States
Broom Corn Festival
Arcola, IL · Quirky
- When
- September 11–13, 2026
- Where
- Downtown Arcola · Arcola · IL
- Cost
- Not confirmed
- Status
- Confirmed from the organizer's published schedule
Arcola calls itself the Broom Corn Capital of the World, and each September its downtown streets host a National Broom Sweeping Contest, broom-making demonstrations, and a parade alongside a 5K/10K race. The festival marks its 55th year in 2026.
The history within reach
- Broom Corn Festivalsame spot
Arcola calls itself the Broom Corn Capital of the World, and each September its downtown streets host a National Broom Sweeping Contest, broom-making demonstrations, and a parade alongside a 5K/10K race.
Johnny Gruelle, who grew up here, patented the doll and wrote the books around it after his daughter found an old rag doll in the attic.
Arthur sits at the heart of one of Illinois's largest Amish communities, and its Cheese Festival centers on two 300-pound wheels of free cheddar and the International Cheese Curling Championships, where teams throw four-pound cheese wheels at a target.
- Illinois Amish country8.9 mi
The largest Amish settlement in Illinois, several thousand people farming the flattest ground in the state, with buggy lanes on the county roads and cabinet shops that supply half the Midwest.
The fourth debate, in the county where Lincoln's father and stepmother farmed, and the one his admirers quote least: pressed by Douglas in a hostile crowd, he opened by denying he favoured social or political equality between the races.