Brothers continue to honor cousin, family with GOA festival
The passing of George Oscar Allen Jr., a Lanexa businessman, shocked the New Kent community last year. At the young age of 38, the former owner of Ed Allen’s Boats & Bait died in May and left behind his wife, four children, and a host of friends.
But Allen’s impact on the community touched many hearts. Last year, Allen’s cousins Benjamin and Brock Ward orchestrated an event to honor the businessman. Now, that event has become not only a way to honor Allen, but has become a way to support Allen’s children.
The GOA Fall Festival at Ed Allen’s Campground was created to thank a man that affected the New Kent community in a way that put smiles on their faces.
“On the day of his funeral, me and Brock decided we wanted to do something for his kids for when they turn 18,” said Benjamin Ward. “We decided this would be a good way to honor him.”
Because of Allen’s early death, he had no life insurance to support the children. The festival became a way to set up trust funds for Allen’s children and help with costs to prepare for education upon high school graduation. Revenue generated from the event will be used to support Allen’s four children, ages 4, 6, 13, and 14, as well as the festival for next year and future years afterwards.
Both of the brothers are expecting another big turnout and wanted to spread the word about the activities available for attendees of all ages.
“Last year, the festival quickly met capacity, with all 700 tickets being sold out two weeks in advance prior to the event,” said Benjamin. “This year we are expecting about 800 people there.”
With more than 100 volunteers to assist the event last year, it became apparent that the GOA Fall Fest was here to stay and would be a generating point to bring awareness to all to prepare for the unexpected. Gross sales topped $22,000 last year and the result means not only funding for the family, but bigger and better entertainment at the festival.
“All the funds are being reinvested,” said Benjamin. “This year’s festival will consist of free oysters, live music including Jackson Ward, a cornhole tournament for adults and children, kids’ activities, camping, vendors, crafts, a fishing tournament, a silent auction, and a Halloween costume contest for kids that attend.”
And while the festival is just a one-day event to support Allen’s family, Brock commented that support for the family has been recognizable during every day business.
“Every year has been better than the last,” Brock said. “The last year and a half the restaurant has been impacted directly and people have supported him and his family.
“The campground has also seen more tenants as well,” Brock said. “Both the restaurant and campground work hand-in-hand and you can see how much George meant to these people.”
The festival is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24, from 2-11 p.m. Tickets are available for advanced sale, with $25 for a non-camper adult and $15 for children ages 5-12. Kids four and under are free. Tickets may be purchased online at www.edallens.com or at the campground. Also available online is information about the silent auction that raised significant funds for the family.
“The silent auction brought about $4,000 and included prizes such as donated time at vacation homes for weekends,” Benjamin added.
Donations for prizes for the silent auction as well as to the family are also being accepted.
The brothers concluded that even after the kids have graduated into their adult lives, the GOA festival is something that they want to continue to support others in the community.
“We hope that we are able to receive our nonprofit status and provide scholarships down the line for others,” they concluded. “We’ve talked about it in the past and it will be something we look at in the future.”