By Monty Siekerman
Micah Barnes is earning his was through college with popcorn. He’s not growing it. He’s not detasseling it. But he’s popping it in a kettle to sell at festivals, like he did at Ada’s Harvest and Herb Fest on Saturday.

His kettle corn trailer, located in front of McDonald’s, did a brisk business, selling bags of kettle corn for up to $7 each. This young man (he’s a junior at Ohio Northern) knows his kettle corn. He began with one trailer when he was a freshman in high school. Then, with his profits, he bought two more trailers to service fairs, festivals, and sports contests in the Ashtabula County area where he grew up.

But, alas, he sold two trailers before he moved from his home to Ohio Northern so he could devote time to studies. He’s majoring in business, of course. Still, not many students move to college with even one concession stand trailer.

The name of the business is Indescribable Kettle Corn. His mobile food concession stand stocks 20 different flavors of kettle corn, as well as beef jerky.

If you missed him at Saturday’s H&H Fest, you can probably find him at ONU football games and soccer matches.

What is the difference between kettle corn and popcorn, you may ask? Kettle corn is also made from regular popping corn. The difference is how it’s popped. Kettle corn is traditionally made in a large, iron kettle that has been oiled. The popcorn is popped before it is tossed with a little salt, and of course some sugar.

Photo:
Micah Barnes with an armload of his $7 bags of kettle corn at Harvest and Herb Fest.