After 36 Years, Avon Lake's Walker Road Corn Stand Is Done

After 36 Years, Avon Lake's Walker Road Corn Stand Is Done

Farmer Ray Jupina is retiring the sweet corn stand at 32421 Walker Road, outside Laughing Bomb Brewery (the old John Christ Winery). It closed for the season, and this was its last.

🌽 If summer in Avon Lake had a sign, it might have said SWEET CORN in big yellow letters.

That sign is coming down for good.

What's happening?

Farmer Ray Jupina is retiring the corn stand at 32421 Walker Road, outside Laughing Bomb Brewery (the old John Christ Winery). The stand closed for the season, and this season was its last.

How long has the stand been around?

Ray started picking corn at 12, back in 1977, for Don and Lynn Nagel. That's 49 years in the business, 36 of them with a stand in Avon Lake.

At one point, he wrote on Facebook, his farm was a main supplier for Heinen's, Rini Rego and Miles Farmers Market, plus a long list of roadside stands, including his own in Avon and Sheffield.

Why is Ray retiring the stand?

Look at what one summer takes. By his count, he lifted more than a quarter million pounds of sweet corn, melons and tomatoes by hand this season. Eighty-plus hours a week. More than 92 days straight.

Ray turns 61 in December. In his words, he'd like to walk away from this part of farming "while I still can." He also hasn't been able to go fly fishing since 2013.

Fair enough, Ray. Go catch something.

Is Ray done farming?

Not even close. He's still farming 1,200 acres of field corn and soybeans. It's just the stand he's walking away from.

Today's farming, with auto steer and bulk seeding machines, is a lot easier on the back than hauling sweet corn into an old green Chevy pickup.

Why it matters

Plenty of Avon Lake families built a summer routine around this stand. Pull over on Walker Road, grab a dozen ears, and dinner's handled. That kind of thing doesn't get replaced by a grocery store aisle.

Buzz Nation, what's the best thing you ever picked up at the stand? Tell us on Facebook.

Thanks for 36 summers, Ray.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Avon Lake corn stand on Walker Road closing?

Yes. Farmer Ray Jupina is retiring the stand at 32421 Walker Road, outside Laughing Bomb Brewery. The 2026 season was its last.

Who runs the corn stand at Laughing Bomb Brewery?

Ray Jupina, who has had a stand in Avon Lake for 36 years and has worked in farming since 1977.

Is Ray Jupina still farming?

Yes. He's still farming 1,200 acres of field corn and soybeans. Only the sweet corn stand is closing.

Where was the stand?

32421 Walker Road in Avon Lake, at the former John Christ Winery, now Laughing Bomb Brewery.