Cream cheese, butter and fried chicken all hold one thing in common – Bagelfest in Mattoon.

Bagelfest began in 1986 with founder and creator of Lender’s Bagels, Murray Lender, as a way to give back to his hometown.

The festival is hosted every year in July. This year the festival is on the 16 through 18 of July.

Set to perform on the main-stage on Friday night is the Neverly Brothers. Tickets cost $5 and can be purchased at the Mattoon Tourism Office, which can be reached at (217) 258-6286. The performance is scheduled to start at 8 p.m.

Also set to perform is the rising country music group The Zac Brown Band. This band has been featured on CMT and radio stations nationwide with their single “Chicken Fried.” The song speaks of home cooked chicken, beer, jeans that fit just right and spending time with loved ones.

They will be performing on Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Mattoon Tourism Office for $15.

The annual “Run for the Bagel” will also be held on Saturday. The first race begins at 7:30 and Gus Hallmon, Sports Director for the Mattoon YMCA is hoping for a great turnout.

“In 2007, we had 401 runners participate,” Hallmon said. “Last year, we had about 373 participate. Currently, we have about 268 participants registered for the race. We are expecting 373 participants, if not more.”

It is still possible to register for the race up until race time on Saturday. To participate, contact the Mattoon YMCA at (217) 235-YMCA (9622).

The race, formerly known as the “World’s Greatest Race,” changed its name nearly 20 years ago to coincide with Lender’s Bagelfest. Rain or shine, the race will go on, although the awards ceremony is subject to change.

“The only way we would even consider canceling the race is if the whole Bagelfest festivities were cancelled,” Hallmon said. “Now our awards ceremony is typically outside. We would change it to inside to help people dry off, but for the most part we don’t expect any rain issues this weekend.”

There is a 5k, 10k run, one mile fun run and a 5k walk. All the races begin at the Bus Station at 19th and Broadway Ave. and end at the YMCA.

“The past couple years we have had participants from Texas, Michigan, Indiana and Chicago that have come down for this race,” Hallmon said. “This event is open to families and anyone who would like to participate.”

Brad York can be reached at 581-7943 or at bayork@eiu.edu.