ROCKFORD — Last weekend, Brat Days was the big food deal around here.

This Sunday, from 3 to 6:30 p.m., it’s sweet corn, at the Aldersgate Corn Boil at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 4055 N. Rockton Ave., Rockford.

And we’re talking lots of it. Last year, 10,800 ears of corn were served, said Wendy Gloor, church secretary.

About 2,000 people are served each year at the event that has been a fundraiser for the church’s programs, scholarships and charities for more than 40 years.

The corn boil — held rain or shine — typically nets between $4,000 and $5,000, Gloor said. It is one of the church’s two major fundraisers, bringing in about as much as its March rummage sale, she said.

The church gets the bicolored corn locally from Gensler Gardens, Gloor said. About three dozen ears are boiled at one time in one of three wood-fired kettles.

The cost of $6, or $7 the day of the event, but just $2 for ages 7 and younger, starts you off with two ears of corn. It’s an all-the-corn-on-the-cob-you-can-eat affair, though.

Plus, you get a hot dog, dessert and drink.

“It’s really an old-fashioned atmosphere,” Gloor said.

Oh, and is the corn dipped in butter or margarine? “Butter!” Gloor said. “It’s dripping with butter.”

For more information: 815-654-3800.

Click here for the Aldersgate United Methodist Church website

Click here for 2009 coverage of corn boil