1 minute read
2020 Fall Festival: In Face Of Pandemic, Annual Event Still a Success
It was a different Fall Festival, to be sure, but the same spirit of working together to build our parish community prevailed to make the event a success.
The planning committee had spent many hours discussing how the festival could be held under the COVID-19 constraints, but it ultimately was decided to celebrate the festival with the Big Raffle offering cash prizes and the Quilt Raffle with an exquisite hand-sewn quilt from our parish quilters.
Advertisement
“The drawings for the raffles were held at 1 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 18,” says Sister Bernadette Engelhaupt. “People could attend the drawing in person, and it was also livestreamed.”
Although the committee discussed holding the traditional silent auction for beautifully decorated and stocked baskets, it was decided to forego that tradition this year because organizing the bidding would have been too complicated.
We had planned to mail raffle tickets to each parishioner, but before we did that, we learned that is illegal without a disclaimer on each ticket, so we had them available before and after Masses and in the parish office. It was also made known that tickets could be delivered by a volunteer.
“Since tickets could not be returned by mail they were either dropped off at the Church or were picked up by a volunteer,” Sr. Bernadette says.
The proceeds from the raffles will go toward general parish needs.
For this year’s event, in the interest of safety for all during the pandemic, the planning committee decided to set aside the full dinner, the children’s games, petting zoo, Bingo, and the bounce house. All the festival events have always provided our parishioners the opportunity to practice stewardship through offering their time, talents, and treasure. Although these opportunities were not as numerous this year, they will return for next year’s festival.
