In less than 6 shorts months, the 7th Annual Boom-Fest will be held in conjunction with 10th Annual Boomtown celebration. For all you planners out there – mark your calendars NOW for Saturday, August 27 from 10am to 3pm! As in years past, we promise to have plenty of vendors and family friendly entertainment for all to enjoy!

Vendor applications have been available for the better part of a month and to date, we already have 30 vendors secured! The good news is that we have plenty of space for more! We are especially looking for arts & crafts, antiques and repurposed treasures vendors to set up on 4th Street. Oh, and we can’t forget food vendors! It would be an excellent opportunity for a youth or church group to raise some money! An application process is required as we try to avoid duplicating vendors as much as possible to help ensure a positive day for all involved. Applications are available on the Vinton Unlimited website, at the Vinton Unlimited office located in City Hall or via email if needed. Applications are accepted through August 12 but don’t delay! There is also a small booth fee associated with vendor spots as Boom-Fest is an expensive event for us to hold. We don’t look to make any money on Boom-Fest, we just hope to cover our expenses.

By the end of the week, we should have a signed contract with H&H Fun Rides to provide some inflatables for the kids. We have also made arrangements with our local emergency management services to have some cars, equipment and uniforms downtown for the kiddos (and parents!) to check out! Who doesn’t like to check out a fire truck or the inside of an ambulance?! The DNR Mobile Museum will not be returning to Vinton this year as they were already booked but we are waiting to hear from the University of Iowa in response to our request for their Mobile Museum – fingers crossed! We are also wrapping up one final activity for the kids so stay tuned! We will round out the afternoon with a musical performance by Vinton’s Zachary Freedom. An official schedule will be released later this summer. In the meantime, don’t forget to check out our website and Facebook page for updates!

It is quite clear that a lot of time, energy, discussion and some local contributions make this day possible. We sure hope you will all join us downtown for some great memories!