Photo courtesy of Brita Fricke Balaton Balaton Area Chamber of Commerce president Brita Fricke is leading the planning for the 2025 Fun Fest.

BALATON — Brita Fricke has fond memories attending the Balaton Fun Fest as a youth with her friend Molly 11 years straight.

Today, the Balaton Area Chamber of Commerce president now leads to organizing of the event.

“And we get together now, we still kind of laugh .” Fricke said. “We laugh and share conversations, ‘did you ever think you would be running Fun Fest?’ Just have to laugh about it because we ourselves had so much fun at Fun Fest growing up and doing those 11 years in a row. We never thought as an adult, as a kid I should say, that’s going to be me one day.”

According to Fricke, Fun Fest has been around since 1998. She said the town festival was first called Chautaugua Days back in the 1940s. After disappearing for period of time, Chautauga Days returned in the 1980s as a way to fundraise for the school.

“Ultimately, it turned into Fun Fest as our town celebration.,” Fricke said. “The Balaton Chamber puts on the Fun Fest Days. It’s the first full weekend in July. The first Friday of July it starts. So this year its July fourth, fifth and sixth. We always have events on Thursday night as well.”

Like the Chamber, Fricke says Fun Fest organizers look to draw people beyond Balaton city limits.

“On Friday night, we have our Balaton Area Community Foundation, which I serve as the vice president. They have a burger feed, and we always keep it at five dollars because we want it to be family friend event and affordable. For five dollars you get a burger, chips, pop and that goes over really well,” she said. “The last couple years we fed well over 450 people on Friday evening in the park. You know our population on the sign at Balaton is 536, something like that. That’s pretty good. There’s a lot of people that come back for it.”

And Fricke says it takes a lot of people in the community to operate Fun Fest.

“Each person in a small town, if they go missing, boy that really throws the balances of a small town celebration. You need everybody involved. You need city council, you need city maintenance men, the city workers, the liquor store, the golf course, the churches. All area committees are involved,” she said.

Fricke took over leading the organizing of Fun Fest in 2022 when she became president of the Balaton Area Chamber of Commerce.

“Our committee kind of changed in the last three years. We had those seasoned people that were leading the Fun Fest committee and the torch has been handed down to us, the next generation,” she said. “I feel like the next generation of people have to keep it alive and added some more fun things to it. And I can’t help but to feel that the older generation just appreciates the young generation has taken that torch and is continuing on with the work they put in motion with our town celebration.”

Being involved in her community comes second nature for Fricke. Before becoming chamber president, Fricke worked at the Post Office for 12 years. She points at that point of time when she really got to know her community. Today, besides her chamber duties, Fricke also holds the position of operations manager at Victory Church in Balaton.

“I was born and raised in Balaton. I plan on dying in Balaton. That’s usually the line I use. Very rooted in the community of Balaton. My husband and I, along with our in laws own Enviro Pump (Plus), she said. “I’m just more able to do the things I love and connect with the people I can connect with and that’s been amazing.” Fricke and her husband, Dylan, along with other family members, recently purchased the Balaton Bay Golf Course. Her husband also sits on the City Council and the EDA board. They have three children — Addison 10, Avery 8 and Archer 7.

“I definitely thank my husband. I couldn’t do what I do without him. We both are very community-minded and we both know what it means to have meeting throughout the month at various different committees. And we must like to make things happen. And we have a passion for our community,” Fricke said.

The children also know what’s like to serve their community.

“The kids definitely help out on Fun Fest. They help set up inflatables and the help do whatever hauling we need to do here. Take down something, or get things lined up for the parade. They are hands on usually, hopefully not being dragged around by mom, but learning how to carry on the torch when it’s passed,” she said.

While helping to put on Fun Fest each year is time consuming, Fricke said she see it as work.

“I really enjoy it. I feel like, if you have the right heart and the right attitude and frame of mind, it doesn’t seem like work.” She said. “It doesn’t seem like a big task in front of you. More of a fun thing. I love seeing it come to life and I love the aftermath of after Fun Fest. All the memories that are shared and all the good times people write (about) on Facebook and say, ‘oh we just had a great time. We loved it.’ It’s just exciting that families got together and they were able to have a good time.”