Knee High by the 4th of July?

  • “Knee High by the Fourth of July” was my grandfather’s saying back in the early 1950s (remembers Bill Thompson, former owner of The Polk County News). The saying meant cornstalks should be knee high by the 4th of July. Pictured on July 4, 2026 is Jan Thompson at a cornfield along Highway 81 between Stromsburg and York. The stalks are about 6 feet tall. What a difference 70+ years make. Photo provided by Bill Thompson.
    “Knee High by the Fourth of July” was my grandfather’s saying back in the early 1950s (remembers Bill Thompson, former owner of The Polk County News). The saying meant cornstalks should be knee high by the 4th of July. Pictured on July 4, 2026 is Jan Thompson at a cornfield along Highway 81 between Stromsburg and York. The stalks are about 6 feet tall. What a difference 70+ years make. Photo provided by Bill Thompson.