One of my close friends lived in Mattoon, Illinois for three years so when she told our friend group about Bagelfest we knew we had to go. Bagelfest is a week-long, homecoming-like celebration surrounding bagels! It started when a Lender's bagel factory moved to town. That kick-started Mattoon's love for bagels and Bagelfest. Every year since then, a parade and carnival have been thrown by Lender's Bagels. This year, my friends and I decided to check it out.

Bagelfest is a week-long festival but we only came for the Saturday. Mattoon is about an hour and a half drive from where we live, road trip! We arrived at ten am, just in time for the parade. The parade was an hour of flying bagels, small motorcycles, and free stuff! It was really cool to see people from surrounding towns coming to enjoy the parade. There were people dressed as bagels, winners form the Miss Bagel beauty pageant and live music. My friends and I collected lots of bagels and candy by the end.

Next, we all headed for a bite to eat at Freddy's. After a great meal, we headed to the carnival. The carnival had over ten rides and great games. There was a variety of booths selling everything from food to custom clothing. We decided to buy twenty dollar passes for all the rides. They were good until four pm and we were determined to get our money's worth. After we rode a few rides, I decided to take one of my friends on the Ferris wheel.

We didn't take into consideration our mutual fear of heights.

We were both freaking out by the time we go to the top. It was fun but terrifying at the same time. Our seat was rocking back and forth as well and that didn't help the situation. When we got back to earth, we decided to take a break and get our Bagelfest t-shirts. We played a few games and took on the magic mirror fun house. It started to rain but that didn't stop us from going on more rides and having fun.

Bagelfest in Mattoon, Illinois was well worth the drive and the cost. It's a fun, family-friendly place for everyone. It was a good experience for me and my friends. We left with lots of bagels and smiles. I highly recommend checking it out. Remember, if you have a fear of heights, don't go on the Ferris wheel.