The "Corn Wagon Of New Danville" Story

Making a selection at "The Corn Wagon"

It was an ordinary day.  My wife and I were each filling a plastic bag with Providence bicolor sweet corn.  Sign along the road declared 13 ears for $2.50 at "The Corn Wagon."  It was more than 40 years ago that "The Corn Wagon" began offering sweet corn for sale along the New Danville Pike in southern Lancaster County, PA.  

Vine ripened tomatoes look great

The Brenneman family began their business by parking a farm wagon along the road and selling sweet corn to anyone who cared to pull off the road and fill a bag with the summer vegetable.  Today "The Corn Wagon" sits about 50 yards from the road and has a paved parking lot with lined parking spaces for its patrons.  

Peaches are from neighboring fruit trees

And, today there were four wagons filled with sweet corn.  Also is a wooden produce stand and another couple of bins covered with tarps that held a variety of produce for its patrons.  "The Corn Wagon" has become a local institution known for selling their corn by the dozen plus one or a baker's dozen.

Paying for my purchases and heading home to make soup

All the corn that is sold is from the nearby 75 acres of farmland.  The place is now run by Jay Brenneman who has taken over the duties from his parents Clair and Jane.  The parking lot was full when we arrived near noon and the wagons of corn were starting to empty.  Carol and I gathered our corn, grabbed a box of peaches, paid the bill of $6.00 and headed back toward Lancaster.  Had to get home, husk the corn, cut it off the cob and prepare for making one of my favorites, chicken corn soup.  Nothing's better than a hot bowl of chicken corn soup and a couple pieces of butter bread for supper.  Lancaster County eating at its best!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.