3 minute read
Parish Picnic 2022: Community Shares in Plenty of Fellowship and Fun
There are many reasons to look forward to the summer — and our Parish Picnic is certainly one of them! Fried food, fun games and raffles, music, and fellowship with other parishioners and the community make this event a highlight of the summer. Jackie Dreyer and four fellow parishioners are on the planning committee that has been working since January to plan the picnic, which will be held on July 16.
“The entire city comes out for the picnic, especially our Catholic community,” Jackie says. “It’s a fun time for food and fellowship.”
Advertisement
The Parish Picnic is a major fundraiser for the parish that helps pay bills and support everything the parish has to offer. Jackie estimates that the picnic has been a parish tradition for decades or more and it offers a classic summer fair experience. Fried food and roast beef sandwiches always draw a crowd. The local Hearsay Band will perform at 8:30 p.m. and there will be a silent auction and big raffle event supported by local businesses. Almost $2,000 in cash prizes will be given away at the picnic. There will be lots of local goodies available to purchase.
“We’re a country church, so we have a country store,” Jackie says. “If there’s an overabundance of summer produce, we’ll be selling that.”
The picnic will offer plenty to keep the little ones entertained. There will be a bouncy house and kids’ games as well as games for older children. For the adults, there will be poker and a quilt raffle.
Jackie and the other committee members know that this event draws a lot of the community and that the food makes it popular. They spend a lot of time coordinating with local businesses to support the raffle, lining up the music, and bringing in food vendors.
Raffle tickets are available for purchase ahead of time. The picnic will begin immediately following the 4 p.m. Mass on Saturday, July 16. It takes many hands to pull off this big event and volunteers are needed to help set up and run all of the picnic events.
“It’s a good opportunity to get to know your fellow parishioners,” Jackie says.
All are invited to join us for this summertime celebration for the whole community and fundraiser for the parish. Come share in the fellowship, enjoy the fried food, play games, and come away with goodies from the country store and cash prizes!
