Quaint Town-Big Heart
Life in Mt. Pulaski and surrounding Logan County is a life lived at a leisurely pace. It is a family-friendly community, centered around its history, schools, churches, charitable organizations, and civic events. It is a community made of farmers, retirees, young families, commuters, and ample volunteers.
Mt. Pulaski is a place where the sense of community is immense, where the air is fresh, where the wide-open skies are strewed with stars, and where the mid-western sunrises and sunsets are awe-inspiring.
Life in the family-friendly City of Mt. Pulaski allows you to spend quality time with your loved ones while supporting some of our locally owned businesses that are at the core of our economic viability. Time spent may consist of a trip to The Dairy Bar for some ice cream or a stop at Farmer's Family Restaurant for a home-style meal. There's no such thing as being a stranger at The Old Brickyard or Pizza Man. Grab a bite to go at Casey's, Subway, or indulge in a craft beer at the Lucky Lager. Wherever you go, this close-knit community is a place where familiar faces and friends provide a welcoming environment and make you feel like you are at home.
Life in Mt. Pulaski also offers an array of larger businesses that employ many of our residents and residents from surrounding towns. Whether it is keeping loved ones cared for at Vonderlieth Nursing Home, providing stamping services at Inland Tool, servicing tractors for AHW, or delivering furniture for Stahls Furniture, Mt. Pulaski is centrally located with various opportunities.
Much activity around town is attributed to the sports, music, and arts programs at Mt. Pulaski High School, the Mt. Pulaski Elementary School, and Zion Lutheran School. Mt. Pulaski is well-known for many of the academic and extracurricular teams advancing to state competitions. The success of these teams is celebrated around the community square with the assistance of a police escort and firetrucks. It is not uncommon to hear and see these celebrations. Proud parents and cheering fans litter the square streets to applaud the school bus full of excited kids on their accomplishment. The tradition is to travel a few laps around the town square before stopping at one of the local restaurants for a celebratory dinner.
Mt. Pulaski is an active volunteer community with a busy slate of community events. Many of these events are long-time traditions dating back many years and are still commemorated today. Many innovative and energetic organizations are creating new traditions and staking their claim in the town’s history. Mt. Pulaski is well known for its self-sustaining nature due to its large volunteer base who pride themselves on the towns staple events. They are as follows:
- Easter Egg Hunt and Roll – Dates vary for this annual celebration with egg hunts for a variety of age categories ranging from toddlers to 4th and 5th graders. It is sponsored by the Hilltop Club.
- Memorial Day Services - Services take place each Memorial Day morning at Veteran's Memorial bluff in the Mt. Pulaski Cemetery on the north side of town. Services include an honor guard flag, a rifle salute, a remembrance reading of names of the local deceased veterans, music, and orators. There is also a service at Steenburgen Cemetery, located south of town.
- 2nd Fridays on the Square – This summer event is held monthly on the second Friday, May through September, on the town square. People gather to enjoy a variety of local craft and food vendors, live music, children's activities, plus much more.
- 4th of July Celebration – This long-time tradition includes town-wide garage sales, food and beverages, a band concert and fireworks at dusk at Frazier Park.
- Mt. Pulaski Fall Festival – Each September, Mt. Pulaski residents welcome the fall season with pageantry, a parade, a kiddie tractor pull, car show, bounce houses, concerts, a petting zoo and more.
- Lighting of the Community Christmas Tree - Join the Hilltop Club and bring an ornament to hang on the community Christmas tree. This event is the first weekend in December.
- Christmas Parade and Santa at the Courthouse Event – Watch the lighted Christmas Parade as it travels around the town square. Each year, Santa Claus arrives at the end of the parade in a firetruck and heads to the Courthouse for pictures and refreshments with children of all ages. This event takes place on a Saturday in early December.
- Christmas on Vinegar Hill – Mt. Pulaski businesses, organizations, schools, and residents celebrate the holidays by selling delicious foods, candies, holiday items, gifts, and decorations. This is a perfect opportunity to kick off the holiday shopping season.
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they have the heart.” -Elizabeth Andrew
