Fourth plus 150th equals one big Funfest for Eagan

Eagan always throws a big party for July 4th, but this year, the annual Funfest takes on more significance as the city celebrates its 150th anniversary.

In honor of the milestone, the Funfest committee has revamped programming for the 44th annual event, adding another day to celebrate, a Patriot Pancake Breakfast and the largest fireworks display in the Twin Cities, according to Cory Hilden, the Funfest committee's secretary.

During the past year, a volunteer board of directors has been planning and scheduling events, activities, facilities, vendors and entertainers. The festival starts with the Miss Eagan Funfest Ambassador coronation on Thursday and continues through the weekend with events in Central Park on the Eagan Community Center grounds.

This year, Hilden expects between 6,000 and 10,000 people to show up, and that number will swell for the fireworks show on Sunday night.

Traditional features of the event remain, including a parade, stage acts, children's games, Texas Hold'em tournaments, a carnival and a variety of vendors around the park.

Raleigh Seelig has been heading up the celebration for 23 years. He began with Eagan's Lions Club. Now the chairman of the Funfest committee, Seelig said Saturday's parade isn't much different from years past, though he noticed that things are running much smoother as years go on. "I've got a good crew to help me out with it."

The city of Eagan, which is working with the Funfest committee this year, is extending its year-long food drive to the parade. In hopes of breaking a world record, the city is collecting canned and non-perishable food items before and during the parade, said Tom Garrison, Eagan's communications director.

Before Seelig was in charge, the events also included a children's bicycle parade. This year, the committee is bringing the bike parade back as part of Sunday's festivities, with a community pancake breakfast beforehand.

Ruthann White, the committee's vendor organizer, has also been the divisional director for the Minneapolis Aquatennial since 2002 and has been working on the Funfest committee since it was organized in 2006.

White said this year they've added about 10 vendors. Though more vendors do participate every year, White said the celebration has garnered a few more than in a typical year. The nearly 40 booths will include such diverse businesses as home improvement companies, jewelry makers, non-profits and health-and-wellness clinics.

Funfest also will host the Old West Society of Minnesota, which will reenact life in the old west, sponsored by the city of Eagan.

With his team of volunteers, Seelig said the event is enjoyable to put on. "The team effort basically has made it as great as it has been in the past few years."