From Schooner Days to happily ever after

Nancy Vest and her husband Terry Eggan began their courtship at the annual Schooner Days about 55 years ago.

Reminiscing about that day, Nancy and Terry playfully debate the nature of their early relationship. Nancy chuckles, saying, “We were courting,” while Terry interjects, “I thought we were dating.” Amid laughter, Nancy insists, “No, no, no,” and Terry admits, “But she turned me down all the time anyway.”

At the time, Nancy was 13 years old, while Terry was 14. 

For more than 60 years, the community festival fundraiser organized by the Eden Prairie Lions Club has marked the start of summer on the first weekend in June, delighting generations of residents. In its early days, Schooner Days took place at the Flying Cloud Drive-In Theater, situated on the east end of Flying Cloud Airport.

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“He won a stuffed toy for me there,” Nancy recalled. “I was just a 13-year-old oblivious kid, and I remember he called me when I got home. I didn’t really know what to do. I asked my sister if she would just talk to him because our voices sounded the same, so I could go out and play.”

However, as they both fondly recall, their courtship quickly evolved into a dating relationship. This August, they will celebrate their 48th wedding anniversary.

“I can’t believe how long we have been married and how much we’ve shared and a lot of our memories together are all about Eden Prairie,” Nancy said. “We just feel really lucky to still be here.”

And it began at Schooner Days all those years ago.

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Back to the future of Schooner Days

For the longtime Eden Prairie residents, Schooner Days holds a special place in their hearts, not only for the way it brought them together but also because of their present role in shaping its future. 

This year’s Schooner Days will take place from 4 to 11 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. As in previous years, the event will feature bingo, a beer garden, carnival rides, and food trucks at Round Lake Park. Additionally, there will be a pickleball tournament at Staring Lake Park. 

But with Nancy’s support, Terry, the Lions Club president through June, is enhancing the event by creating the inaugural family-friendly vendor marketplace.

The marketplace will feature over 50 vendors offering a variety of specialty foods, creative ice cream concoctions, unique gifts, crafts, art, jewelry, clothing, accessories, woodcraft, pottery, and children’s face painting and temporary tattoos, according to a media release.

They also helped to launch a website solely for Schooner Days as a way to improve its visibility and accessibility in the community.

Terry aims to build awareness of Schooner Days among the newer residents through the marketplace and the website. The hours for the marketplace are a bit different than the event itself. It’s open from 4 to 9 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

“Eden Prairie has grown so much, and I’m surprised how many people don’t know about Schooner Days,” he said. “When I became president of the Lions (last year), I wanted to try to bring Schooner Days up to date. So we created this new website that it’s never had, and then added these 50 vendors to make a marketplace with a variety of tastes for a variety of patrons. We’re really pushing hard to reach out to all 60,000 residents in Eden Prairie.”

Nancy said the hope is that the marketplace would offer a fresh alternative for those seeking a different experience from the classic Schooner Days fare.

“Those are fantastic, but for those people who really love that element of shopping or arts and crafts and activities and fun food, it just adds something new (and) will be enhancing for those who already go and love it,” she said.