This year’s celebration marks the 20th anniversary of the GATE group and the 26th year of the Gothic Days festival.

“We always have lots of community spirit on Gothic Days weekend,” Stacey said. “This is a really a community event. Everyone pulls together.”

With the addition of the Gothic House Visitor’s Center and several other new businesses in town, Stacey said she believes this year could be the start of an economic boost for Eldon.

“In a small town like this, everyone pulls together and this could help continue development in Eldon and bring more people in,” she said. “We just want people to come have fun and see what the town has to offer.”

Kremer said both groups are really excited for this weekend’s event.

“The whole community has worked hard for this and it should be a great weekend,” Kremer said.

Scott Niles can be reached at (641) 683-5360 or via e-mail at sjniles@mchsi.com.