By Tim Cooper

EUREKA – Summer is here! While we bear the heat with a sly grin, we look for things to do with family and friends. We enjoy barbecues, the fireworks, a trip to the lake, and Eureka has all these things to offer. This year, Eureka’s annual Reagan Fest returns as a late summer blast for all ages. The festival will be held on August 24th and 25th.

With eight food vendors, forty crafts and arts merchants, carnival games, and many more attractions, the festival is a time that the community comes together, and celebrates summer, and fun. With something for all ages, Reagan Fest is a prime-time summer attraction that brings about 2000 residents, and out of town folk into Eureka to celebrate summer, and all it has to offer.
Reagan Fest has been the annual summertime celebration in Eureka now for three years running. In 2009, Eureka celebrated its Sesquicentennial. A committee was formed to plan an event that included a carnival, beer tent, vendors, arts and crafts, live music, and more. The event was successful, and the town showed interest in having a yearly town festival on a smaller scale. The first Reagan Fest was in 2010, says Adrianne Yoder, a festival organizer.
[Editor’s note: The community previously held a Eureka-Reagan Fest as a downtown street festival around the Court House square. With the change of location to Eureka Lake, the name was also modified.]
Organizers wanted to bring a last summer hurrah to town that would attract many from the surrounding area. Its success as a money-making operation has made more businesses participate in it yearly. The first year the festival was in existence a number of local businesses participated, and displayed their wares, food items, or services. The festival attracts many vendors from the area; local and non-local. Vendors this year will include some old favorites, and new ones as well. With competitive prices, and stiff competition for spots, vendors vie to provide the best customer service to the customers for low cost.
When asked what there was to do this year at the festival, Yoder replied, “there are many things to do this year, including, the food vendors, crafters and merchants, a beer tent for the adults, fun on the run inflatables for the kids, carnival games and prizes, bingo tent, and zip line. Friday nights events include a kid parade, adult karaoke, and a DJ at the beer tent stage. Saturday there is a trail run, bags tournament, kiddie tractor pull, a kids talent show, the band Jamsammich on the beer tent stage.”
The website for the festival is www.eurekafestivals.com. There, vendors, merchants, and other people trying to get into the festival can apply for permits, and sign up for the trail run, and the bags tournament. This site also talks about the Polar Plunge.
The plunge is one of the fundraising events for the festival. There are pictures on the website showing participants taking a cool dip in Eureka Lake during the middle of the winter months!
Reagan Fest promises to deliver again this year. With so many fun things to do at the festival, how could you not attend? With over 2000 people to please, the organizers have taken on a big task, but they are confident that people will be happy with what they have to offer. As a person who has gone for the past few years, I can tell you that the whole town really throws its weight into this festival. Eurekans go all out, but they do it with a smile on their face. It is a friendly environment that is fun for all ages. So, towards the end of August, cancel any plans that you may have, and come on out to celebrate all things Eureka in a fun and safe environment for the family.