TitleRonald Reagan Visit to Eureka College for the 1947 Pumpkin Festival (6)
Inventory Number1947.006
Full CollectionRonald Reagan Collection - Reagan Image Collection - 5x7 Images
Object Description
In 1947, Eureka, Illinois hosted their annual Pumpkin Festival. This particular year had the largest attendance - while most years would see an average of 40-50,000 attendees, 1947 would see nearly 100,000 attend over the two day celebration. The significant rise in attendees was in large part due to the appearance of Ronald Reagan, a Hollywood film actor who was a student at Eureka College between 1928-1932. As an honored guest of the festival, Reagan was given several prominent roles including crowning the festival queen, opening the annual Pumpkin Bowl football game, and leading the parade on horseback. The Governor of Illinois, Dwight H. Green was also in attendance and rode on the coronation float with Reagan.
This black and white photograph show Ronald Reagan standing next to several young men as they are serving themselves from a buffet of food. Reagan holds a plate full of food in his left hand while reaching for a cup from a server in his right hand. The men are dressed in suits and Reagan is wearing his glasses, which he was rarely photographed with. From the Eureka College flag in the background, we can gauge that this was taken on campus during Reagan's 1947 visit during the town's annual Pumpkin Festival.
Object Date1947
Object StatusCurrent
Object TypePhotographs
Country OriginUnited States
Credit LineEureka College
Full LocationEureka College Archives - Digital Archive
SubjectRonald Reagan, Actor Ronald Reagan, Eureka College Visit, 1947 Pumpkin Festival
Inventory Contact NameBouslog, Katelynn - Ronald Reagan Museum - Eureka College