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2015 Area Fall Festivals LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.COM September 15, 2015
2015 Mount Pulaski Fall Festival
living “Community Pride”
Story by Teena Lowery
The 2015 Mount Pulaski Fall Festival kicked
off Friday evening under clear skies and cool
conditions.
Community Pride member Todd Cyrulik gave the
opening remarks and thanked the community for
its support of the event. Cyrulik also asked for
a moment of silence for Rich Fulscher, a former
Community Pride member who recently passed
away. Cyrulik noted that “Rich was a part of the
team that brought the fall festival back in the
‘80s.”
Pastor Mark Weber of the Mount Pulaski Christian
Church also spoke on this September 11th evening
and asked for a moment of silence and prayers
“for those whose lives will never be the same”
after the tragic events of that fateful day. “In times
of tragedy communities come together,” Pastor
Weber reminded everyone as he also spoke of
being very thankful for our freedom. This freedom
allows members of small communities like Mount
Pulaski to gather and peacefully enjoy the simple
things in life.
The Fall Festival is also an opportunity for parents
and grandparents to beam with pride as their little
ones take the stage in the children’s pageants
on opening night. The stage was filled with
contestants but only two got to take home a crown,
while the third was decorated with a bandana.
Elyssa Marten was named Little Miss Mount
Pulaski while Josey Kiper was the Junior Miss
Mount Pulaski. Meanwhile little Ryder Collier,
decked out in bibs and a John Deere hat, took
home the Cutest Li’l Farmer bandana around his
neck.
The rest of Friday evening was spent with children
happily bouncing around in the inflatables,
compliments of Basset’s Mechanical of Mount
Pulaski, while the adults enjoyed the band Madd
Hoss Jackson in the Jaycees Beer Tent.
Saturday was a full morning of activities which
included the INB 5K, the Zion Lutheran Youth
Fellowship and Evangelism 3-on-3 Basketball
Tournament, the Jaycee’s Kiddie Tractor Pull, a
Bake-off and a Chili Cook-off.
The Community Pride parade kicked off afternoon
activities and that was followed by the Community
Band Concert. The grade school and high school
cheerleaders also entertained the crowd with dance
routines.
The evening highlights were the eating contests,
which featured contestants eating hot chicken
wings, and hypnotist William Mitchell, who
managed to put a stage full of folks of all ages
under hypnosis. The night wrapped up with Rob
Seibert hosting Win, Lose or Draw on the main
stage and the band X-Crush closing out the festival
in the Jaycee’s Beer Tent.
