Dining Delights, Tasty Tunes Highlight St. Theodore’s Annual Fall Festival

A smorgasbord of delicious dining delights and tasty tunes from two live bands, plus myriad games of skill and chance for all ages highlight St. Theodore Catholic Church’s annual Fall Festival, starting at 11 a.m. Sunday at the church picnic grounds, near the intersection of Highway P and Grothe Road in Flint Hill.

The fall fest and the summer parish picnic raise the bulk of the money to support .

"They’re our biggest fundraisers to keep the cost of tuition down in our school," said Chris Enloe, one of the picnic officers.

Mary Enloe, also a picnic officer and Chris Enloe’s wife, said they hope the event nets at least $30,000, which is a realistic goal.

It will also be used to pay down the building fund for the new school.

"It just helps us keep everything running," she said.

Preparations for the event, which requires the participation of nearly all the church members, have kept everyone running this week.

"It’s going along fine," Mary Enloe said earlier in the week. "We’re just keeping our fingers crossed that the weather cooperates."

The church’s don’t-mess-with-success formula means the fall festival will be similar to the summer parish picnic. The family dinner will be turkey, fried pork sausage, plus dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sauerkraut, green beans, applesauce, bread, pie, and coffee, tea and water. The all-you-can-eat, family-style meal will be sold 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., with carryout available. The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 4-10 and free for kids 3 and younger.

In addition, a lunch stand will sell burgers, hot dogs, fried chicken gizzards and livers ($3 adults, $2 kids), nachos, pretzels, funnel cakes, homemade potato chips, hot wings (six for $3, 12 for $5), and lemonade. A snow cone stand will offer an assortment of flavored snow cones ($1).

There will also be kiddie cocktails ($1)—a blend of Sprite and cherry snow cone syrup. Soda and water are $2. Beer is $3 a cup, with wine ($2 a cup), wine spritzers ($2 a cup) and Bacardi coolers ($3) also available.

Live music begins at 11 a.m. with Rich Helton and the Circle of Friends Band, which performs until 3 p.m. The band plays classic country music.

"They’re a good band for the kind of crowd we have," Chris Enloe said. "They put on a good show."

Larry and Bert Miller and the Homesteaders offer classic and current country and classic rock hits from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Fun for Children

The day will have plenty of fun activities for children, including a bounce house, a small train for rides, and plenty of chances to win prizes. Games such as Wheel of Fun, a spinning wheel similar to Chuck-a-Luck; and Frog Toss, in which stuffed frogs are tossed at targets, allow kids the opportunity to score prizes. Likewise for duck pond, where everyone is a winner simply by plucking a toy duck out of a pool of water. In Pop-a-Shot, participants shoot baskets for prizes. Wind-up pig races, with the winner determined by the first pig to cross the finish line, should also add to the excitement.

Adults Can Get in on the Action

Games for adults include Texas Hold ‘Em and regular poker; Chuck-a-Luck, a pull tab game in which a 50-cent investment can net $50; and a Handy Crafts stand, where contestants match a number to win a craft prize. The Fancy Works stand offers handmade quilts, blankets, towels and more, all possible to win by buying four chances for $1.

"The big draw is the quilts," parish priest said. "They’re really beautiful."

There is also a Quilt of the Month raffle, where tickets at $1 each, or six for $5 buys entry into a yearlong, once-a-month drawing for more handmade quilts.

In addition, the Grand Raffle, at $10 a ticket, has a $5,000 first prize, with other cash prizes prorated based on how many tickets are sold. Festival visitors can also go whole hog by purchasing raffle chances to win a whole hog. The St. Theodore St. Vincent De Paul Society will be raffling the whole hog, processed along with a barbecue/picnic basket.  The chances are $1 each or six for $5.

At the Country Store, people can purchase homemade baked goods like pies, cakes and cookies, canned goods such as jelly and apple butter, and fresh produce from local gardens. Sausage will also be available by the pound.

Mary Enloe, in her second year as a picnic officer and attending her 13th picnic, said the event is a good time.

"It’s one way to get together with other parish families and various people," she said. "You socialize even while you are working. You get to meet other people who come in, and it’s kind of a family event. Your children all want to go around and try for prizes, and they can run around a little bit on their own as they get older, and have fun with their friends. It’s a fun event. We always stay longer than our work shift, to enjoy it and everything."

Most games of chance cost $1 or less. The picnic will be held rain or shine. The seven-acre picnic grounds are located just south of the intersection of Highway P and Grothe Road.