Family named Taber makes trip to town for Cornfest

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Welland, Ont. family with the surname Taber made its first-ever trip to the town they share a name with for Cornfest 2025. Father Dwayne Taber, mother Amanda, sons Dillon and Nathan, daughter Allison, and a girlfriend, Elizabeth Brady, all made the trip out west.

  Mayor Andrew Prokop told the story from his point of view a day after the Cornfest weekend wrapped up, and it was too good to pass up the opportunity to retell it. He spent some time with the Tabers during Cornfest, had breakfast with them the morning they were set to leave, and convinced them to take a quick jaunt out the Trout Pond right before they left town. Naturally, he even suggested that the family consider relocating to a new hometown – this one.

  Dwayne Taber sent a written summary of the events leading up to and including the trip. He began by saying that he was a young lad living with his parents in Tillsonburg, Ont.   when he heard about Taber the town.

  “I looked at it many times on a map and thought I would like to go there one day,” he wrote. “I always wondered about how strange and cool it was to have a town with my last name.”

  But life happened: years of work, marriage, raising a family, and paying the bills. Still, in the back of his head he always had the thought, “I have to see Taber.” He said 40 years passed and still no visit to Taber.

  “One day I was working at my job and then the light goes off… it is time to go and see Taber! I phoned my wife and told her to start making plans.”

  He said the whole family wanted to go. Son Nate told us that Dwayne, Amanda, Elizabeth, and himself all work “full-time and then some,” whereas Dillon and Allison work and are currently in their second semester of college. They contacted the travel agency and had to decide when the best time to go would be.

  “Well holy cow, Cornfest! That is the time,” Dwayne wrote. “So in early April 2025 we went to see what the travel agency could do for this family vacation. No problem, just like that the flight, hotel, rental car – all booked. Then we wait.”

  He said when the time finally came, it was a new experience because his wife and kids had never been on a plane. Upon arrival, the Tabers were pleasantly surprised by the perfect weather, friendly people, and the town’s neat and tidy appearance. The family attended the parade and then watched the opening ceremony at the grandstand.

  “We visited Cornfest every day,” Dwayne wrote. “We ate at the many different food trucks, watched wrestling, rode rides, stopped at the craft show, saw the drone show, fireworks, and the huge car show. It was a town full of great cars.”

  When the Tabers booked their trip, one of the boys contacted the mayor to see if they could arrange to meet him, and Dwayne reported, “He met us at the fairgrounds of Cornfest for a photo opportunity. After talking for a bit we decided to meet for breakfast the next morning.”

 “When morning arrived we had the pleasure of having Andrew at our breakfast table. He is such a friendly and easy to talk to guy,” Dwayne said. Deputy mayor Dan Remfert joined the group, and after visiting over breakfast, the two men convinced the Tabers that they had to see the Trout Pond before leaving.

  The family’s reaction? “What a wonderful place! There is camping, a playground for kids, bike and walking trails, a beach area, and of course fishing. It was such a pleasure to see a town giving the community such a lovely attraction.”

  Dwayne said now it’s “back to the old grindstone,” but complimented Taber on being an easygoing town. Nate added, “It was very nice to step away from the hustle and bustle of real life and enjoy it.”