After almost 30 years, EudoraFest will not continue this year.

EudoraFest Treasurer Rob Wiley said EudoraFest was canceled largely due to financial difficulties. EudoraFest made its money through sponsorships and vendor registration, but Wiley said those sources are drying up. He said vendors are getting priced out and attendance has dwindled over the years.

“Little towns are great, but you don’t make much money off them,” Wiley said.

EudoraFest President Barbara Tuttle said vendors are retiring and young people aren’t making crafts like the older generations do. She also said EudoraFest has to pay for everything on its own.

She said the city charges them for picnic tables, porta-potties, trash cans and on-duty police officers. In the past, she said EudoraFest didn’t need to pay for that.

Tuttle and Wiley said they’re tired. For the past 20 years, they have been organizing EudoraFest with limited help. With full-time jobs, Tuttle said neither of them has time to go out and get sponsors, purchase the prizes, solicit vendors, advertise, hire bands or work with the city. 

Tuttle and Wiley would go to craft shows and hand out applications for EudoraFest, but they said they no longer have the time to do this.

“We’re done,” Tuttle said.

Wiley said he wishes EudoraFest got more support from the community.

Tuttle said she wishes more people would have volunteered and taken the initiative to complete projects.

“I think if they really honestly wanted to volunteer, they would have reached out to us beforehand,” Tuttle said. “We stated and stated and asked and asked and begged and pleaded for volunteers.”

EudoraFest has had several volunteers over the decades, like Rex Burkhardt, who did a lot of work for the car show. Tuttle and Wiley said they would like to thank past volunteers, the sponsors and everyone who participated in the festival.

Tuttle said anyone who is interested in continuing EudoraFest can message its Facebook page. While she is stepping down, she said she would offer guidance to anyone who wants to take it over.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau began the Main Street Market three years ago, and Tuttle said it has contributed to EudoraFest’s decline. One of the Main Street Market events is now close to the EudoraFest.

The year before Main Street Market began, Tuttle said the CVB partnered with EudoraFest to plan the annual event.

“I thought everything went well, and then the next year they didn’t want to partner with us again,” Tuttle said.

CVB President Amy DeLaRosa said she never wanted it to be the Main Street Market versus the EudoraFest. In the past couple of years, though, she said some vendors have stopped going to EudoraFest and now only go to Main Street Market.

“That was never our intent, anybody’s intent. It just kind of happened that way,” DeLaRosa said. “I’m sad to see EudoraFest go.”

She said the organization has done “great things for the community for a very long time.”

With EudoraFest ending, DeLaRosa said she hopes to plan more events for the Main Street Market on Sept. 26. She said the CVB is looking at incorporating a car show and potentially selling the Eudora United Methodist apple dumplings that were previously sold at EudoraFest.

“We’re not essentially taking over EudoraFest, but hoping that we can still provide a Saturday event that will bring in some of those people that like to come for pieces of the EudoraFest,” DeLaRosa said.

She also said the cancellation of EudoraFest is a call to action for the community to get involved with local groups like the library or Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber has also struggled to find volunteers to take on its officer roles this year. Kelly Long said earlier this week some people have expressed interest in filling roles, and the Chamber may change its leadership structure due to the new leaders. 

DeLaRosa said the town has a lot of great organizations for people to get involved.

“Everybody’s spread really thin, and there’s not a lot of people helping,” DeLaRosa said. 

DeLaRosa said the CVB is thinking about planning a volunteer fair that will educate community members about opportunities to help.

As for the apple dumplings, organizer Marcia Bagby said the church will definitely continue selling them. 

“It may mean that we do less, or it may mean that we come up with another venue to take them to and sell,” Bagby said. “It’s just something we’ll have to have more discussion about.”

Reach reporter Bella Waters at [email protected].