Ladysmith might have Pamela Anderson, but Chemainus has its own famous blonde. In the summer months, he just might be the bigger celebrity.
Like Cher or Beyoncé, he’s known by a single name. Social media lights up every time his pickup appears near the Henry Road roundabout. It’s a daily refrain in local Facebook groups:
“Does anyone know when Don the corn guy will be in town next?”
Don the corn guy’s actual name is Don Allingham. His fame comes from something simple: really good corn.
The proof is in the product. He hauls as many as 1,000 ears to a single market and leaves with an empty truck.
So what is it that makes Don the corn guy’s corn so delicious?
“It’s just fresh,” he said, standing beside a truck bed brimming with fresh-picked ears of corn. “When I started this, I made myself promises. I’d only sell corn we picked that morning. I never sell day-old corn.”
Allingham credits his success to careful planning.
“I stagger my plantings. We just opened up this planting today,” he explained, gesturing toward the truck bed full of the good stuff. “I don’t plant it all the same day because once corn ripens, the variety I grow has a seven-day window from sugar to starch. This is still sugar. As it gets older, then it gets starchier and tougher. We leave that, and now we’re into a new section.”
Fresh-picked is a hard rule.
“Whenever you see me with my truck selling corn, it’s fresh-picked that day,” he said. “What you do with it when you take it home is totally up to you.”
While corn is his claim to fame, Allingham is branching out. This year, he planted potatoes.
“I did about an acre of potatoes, which doesn’t sound like a lot,” he said with a grin. “But when you look at it, it’s a lot.”
Will Chemainus soon be clamouring for “Don the corn and potato guy”? Time will tell.
For now, locals keep watch for his next appearance. Sometimes, he even posts his own updates, starting simply with: “Hi, this is Don the corn guy…”
The excitement is real. It’s what it must be like when Pamela Anderson is spotted buying groceries in Ladysmith.
As summer winds down, Allingham’s profile drops with the temperature, but anticipation for his sweet corn doesn’t fade. Come next July, Chemainus will once again be asking the only question that matters:
“Does anyone know when Don the corn guy will be in town next?”
