The weather was warmer than anticipated, but people still enjoyed the three-day Eureka Days festival that had an Oktoberfest theme this year, Eureka Parks and Recreation supervisor Lizzie Roberds said.
Roberds said about 15,000 people attended the event held Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 at Legion and Lions parks. Last year, she said about 18,000 people attended the annual affair.
“It was hot – warmer than we anticipated,” Roberds said. “People were coming in and out more than usual. (Attendance) definitely seemed a little lower.”
Ward 1 Alderman Jerry Diekmann said the weather was just fine for the event.
“Eureka Days is one of my favorite events the city hosts,” Diekmann said. “We had amazing weather which created a huge turnout for the parade, the fireworks and the bands that performed.”
Roberds said the parade on Sept. 30 drew thousands. Roberds said the city had more participation in the parade than ever before.
“We’re happy that people came out, stayed out and had a great time,” she said.
Geggie Elementary PTO won the award for best float. Krista Overstreet, executive director of the Eureka Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber judged the floats on how well they were able to adhere to the Oktoberfest theme.
The Geggie float had a German fairy tale theme, with elementary students dressed as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel.
The group will be awarded $400 for their float by the parade’s sponsor, Old Town Automotive.
“They did a great job with sticking to the (Oktoberfest) theme,” Overstreet said. “They had a lot of enthusiasm and creativity.”
First Adventures Academy was awarded second place and will be given $200. Passiglia Landscape, Nursery and Garden Center in Wildwood was third and was given $100.
Music acts
Bands played each day of the festival at the city’s main stage at the Central Avenue Spur. The Count of Monte Carlo played on Sept. 29. Roberds said a few of the band members are from Eureka, and the band played at a Eureka block party this summer.
“They are super sweet and great to work with,” she said. “They put on an awesome show. They are so supportive in wanting to be a part of our community, and they’re really talented.”
The 12-piece band Diamond Empire played on Sept. 30.
“They were a super high-energy band that was really well-received,” Roberds said.
On Oct. 1, the Tailgators, a five-piece band that plays dance and rock music around the St. Louis area, performed.
“A couple of the (members) are local to Eureka,” Roberds said. “I was very happily impressed with their performance on Sunday. They just had a lot of fun onstage, which is important to me.”
Attractions
Roberds said carnival rides provided by American Banner Amusements were available every day. She said the festival had the same number of rides as last year, despite ongoing construction at Legion and Lions parks.
Roberds said the coed kickball tournament, originally scheduled for the first day of the festival, was canceled due to low interest.
“We only had two teams signed up on the website,” she said. “Hopefully moving forward, if we do it again, we get some more teams.”
Roberds said the beer stein-holding competition on Oct. 1 was a success. Contestants had to hold a heavy glass stein filled with beer or water straight in front of them. If they moved or spilled the stein, they were eliminated.
“It went very well. I myself held the stein for just over a minute,” Roberds said. “I was the first to drop. (The stein) weighs about three pounds. You can’t waver, you can’t move back and forth, and you can’t use your thumb or hand for support.”
Kyle Cochran managed to hold his stein the longest. Roberds said the Elks donated beer to fill the steins.
“When (Cochran) first walked up to the stein-holding contest, he thought it was a beer-chugging contest,” Roberds said. “When we told him it was a holding contest, he kind of went, ‘Oh,’ but he still participated and he got a beer at the end.”
Cochran’s good fortune didn’t end there, though. He also went on to win the fifth annual chicken wing-eating contest on the final day of the festival.
Also held on Oct. 1 was the Kids’ Korner event, which included a magician, airbrush artist, craft activities and a bubble bus at Lions Park.
“The Kids’ Korner was awesome,” she said. “It was very colorful this year. All of our vendors came out for free to put their business in front of families. It was all around a really good time.”
Roberds said the Eureka Fire Protection District beat the Eureka Police Department in the First Responders Home Run Derby, also held Oct. 1, for the second straight year.
“There may have been a little bit of trash talk, but all in good fun,” Roberds said. “They’re still very nice to each other.”
Diekmann said this year’s Eureka Days a success.
“The Eureka Parks Department did a fantastic job of executing the (Eureka Days) event,” he said. “As someone who grew up in Eureka, it’s great to see multiple generations continue to support the festival and I think everyone really looks forward to it every year.”