Sacred Heart Festival to expand on tradition

This year’s Sacred Heart Fall Festival is set for the weekend of Sept. 18,19, and 20. This yearly event draws hundreds of visitors to a wide variety of activities and entertainment across its three-day run. As has been the case for decades, a giant white canopy tent will be set up over the street in front of the church; most events will take place there.

 

Starting on Friday, Sept. 18, the concession stand will be under the tent for all three days, but it will not operate during mealtimes. According to festival planner Becky Petsinger, “Newly available at concessions this year will be pulled pork nachos. Last year’s was the cheesy taco dog, and don’t worry, we’ll have that this year too.” She also wanted to call attention to a new feature this year, the Bean Bag tournament: check in starts at 4 p.m. Saturday night, “It’s 32 teams max, either casual or competitive, $40 per team with payouts for first and second place. We’ll be doing beanbags instead of a musical guest this year.” Interested competitors can sign up by calling Petsinger at 507-304-0389.

 

Open throughout the festival will be a country store with produce, jams and jellies and baked goods available for purchase. A silent auction will have many themed baskets donated from local businesses like Morgan’s Meats, Oscar’s, Otisco Valley Growers, Farmamerica and members of Sacred Heart.  A book fair will offer parents and students time to peruse books for school or personal use. The white elephant sale will have many different items available like gently used clothes and household items; last year there were quite a few used lamps for sale.

 

A “Spirit Wall” will offer adult beverages. Petsinger explained, “The Spirit Wall is a game of chance, similar to a cork pull. For $20 you choose a gift bag that contains an alcoholic item such as wine, beer growler or liquor- (Hence the name Spirit.) You don’t know the item in the bag till you open it. The items are graciously donated to the festival.”

 

A fish fry will be offered from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday with the weekend-long events open until 8 p.m. Saturday’s events start at noon with early bird bingo and the weekend-long spirit wall, silent auction, book fair, country store and white elephant at noon, super bingo at 2 p.m., pulled pork sandwiches at 4:30 p.m.. There will be a Festival Children’s Choir Mass at 5 p.m.

 

Sunday will include a pancake breakfast, silent auction, book fair, country store and white elephant sale starting at 9 a.m. with Mass at 10 a.m. Raffle drawings at 1 p.m. and children’s games and activities all weekend long. This event is free to attend and open for all.