EVA, Ala. – The town of Eva concluded its 33rd annual Eva Frontier Days celebration Saturday. The weeklong festivities began with a beauty pageant last Saturday, the annual hayride Tuesday, a community singing event Thursday and Music on the Square Friday, leading into the main festivities on Saturday.
Saturday’s streets were lined with vendors, car and tractor enthusiasts and spectators.
Guests experienced no shortage of entertainment with activities packed in throughout the day, starting with an art show at Eva Church of Christ, followed by a baking contest, parade, hay stacking contest, frog jumping contest, pig chase and more.
“We are now classified as (sic) Alabama’s (sic) largest pig chasing contest,” said Alabama Public Service Commissioner Jeremy Oden, who helped out with the festivities and emceed the pig chase.
Eva Frontier Days was created by the Eva Art Guild. Board member Cynthia Weaver said Frontier Days was inspired by a trip taken by one of the Eva Art Guild members, Marguerette Alexander, in 1989 to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Cheyenne was celebrating its own Frontier Days. When Alexander came back that July, she told the Guild about the festival she had seen and the group quickly developed its own version, putting on the first celebration that September.
This year some new additions were included in the festivities: Frontier Day’s first ever Barrel Bash was held at Frost Farms. The hay stacking and crosscut saw competitions were also new.
The Barrel Bash at Frost Farms was organized by Kristy Oldacre, Lauren Higdon and Jeff and George Frost. Riders were required to take horses in a timed cloverleaf pattern run around barrels to compete for cash prizes.
The festival has changed some over the years. When it began in 1989, town members dressed in old-fashioned attire for the occasion and held rodeos. The Eva Art Guild sticks to traditions while incorporating new and different activities to bring out visitors and residents each year.
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