Between the Bookends: Corn Husking Contests, Route 66, Christmas Remembered and more

Enlarge Image Image Gallery When Farmers Were Heroes: The Era of National Corn Husking Contests

Looking for a little something special to tuck under the tree this Christmas? We’ve rounded up an assortment of treasures to delight anyone on your list. From competitive corn husking to the nostalgia of Route 66, one of these new releases is sure to make long winter evenings pass by more quickly! 

There was a time when corn husking was the fastest growing sporting event in the U.S. – and a new DVD captures all the giddy excitement of those days. When Farmers Were Heroes: The Era of National Corn Husking Contests, produced by Heritage Documentaries, Inc., is a 27-minute documentary tracing the rise of competitive corn husking.

Take the phone off the hook and make the popcorn before you put this DVD in the player: The action moves at a brisk clip and you won’t want to miss any of it. The video features original film, photographs, artifacts and interviews with competitors from 1930s era events.

It is one thing to read about crowds that numbered in the tens of thousands, corporate sponsorships and fan followings – but seeing actual footage of the events and the excitement surrounding them brings a unique era to life. A plus for educators: Classroom guides are also available.

When Farmers Were Heroes: The Era of National Corn Husking Contests, available for $10 plus $2 s/h from Regena Schantz, 1117 East Denison Ave., Davenport, IA 52803 or at www.heritagedocumentaries.org.

Speak the words “Route 66,” and the person of a certain age is instantly transported back to a time of enormous optimism, enthusiasm and wonder. Ambling across the U.S. from Chicago to Santa Monica, Calif., the legendary highway is fondly remembered as “America’s Main Street.”

Greetings from Route 66: The Ultimate Road Trip Back Through Time Along America’s Main Street is a hugely entertaining romp through travel in the 1950s and ‘60s. Lavishly illustrated with terrific color photos, vintage postcards and memorabilia of the route and the era, the book is like a beautifully assembled photo album.

Terrific old road maps, pennants and menus, matchbooks and brochures tell the story that unfolded in the postwar years when road construction boomed and Americans discovered the road trip. Read about the development of the Airstream travel trailer, a host of “only in America” tourist destinations (Regal Reptile Ranch, Cadillac Ranch and Wigwam Villages among them) and unique and long-lost service stations with a gimmick.