The first-ever Harvest Festival took place on Saturday, September 25, in front of the Catholic Church and it was a huge success! Everyone was invited to join in the celebration of harvest, community, and fellowship. This event replaced the traditional Harvest Dinner usually hosted in the fall by the Parish Council of Women (PCW). For over 40 years the ladies hosted a turkey dinner with all the fixings, using the proceeds to provide scholarships, purchase needed items for the church, and make other donations throughout the year. The dinner was the main fundraiser for the group, but this year, the Youth Group is also fundraising for a pilgrimage trip. The trip was originally planned for stops in Spain, France, and Portugal but due to the recent spikes in Covid cases and countries closing their borders again, the kids (and their parents) decided to switch gears and travel to Mexico instead. There they will visit the basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. PCW and the Youth Group paired up to host the Harvest Festival, splitting the proceeds of the event.

The festival started at 10 am with carnival games, a bouncy house, cinnamon rolls, and coffee. It was such a joy to see so many young families out to enjoy the beautiful day. The Youth Group students organized the games while their parents helped serve food and sell the tickets that became fair for the entire day. There were games that included a balloon dart toss, ring toss, baseball throw, pop can fishing, face painting, and bean bag toss. We saw kiddos with their faces painted, sweaty from the bouncy house, while others indulged in cotton candy, and still, others were sitting down to enjoy a polish dog or nachos. Everyone had a smile on their faces.

A whole new crowd showed up when bingo started around 1 pm and they filled the parish hall. There are certainly some competitive players in the area and quite a few games were played in just those couple of hours. Over $500 in prizes were rewarded. All the food booths opened after Bingo and they kept on cooking until 10 pm! Everyone got their fill of Polish Dogs, made by Jim Dumas with Hi-line packing, corn on the cob, fresh french fries, fr

bread (dough made by Amber Terry), and slices of pie! The beer garden was manned by Sarah Sura who ensured everyone had a brew to wash down their meal. The cornhole tournament started around 4 pm with 19 total teams present to play. We had a myriad of skill levels in the tournament. From folks playing for their first time to teams that compete regularly, it was certainly fun to watch them play, catch up with old friends or make new ones! The winning team was Robin Pearson with his son-in-law Casey with a payout of $425, most of which was donated back to the event-Thank you! Joe Pavlovick won the Calcutta, taking home $720. There was also a cakewalk during the tournament, with over two dozen cakes sent home with participants. The night was made complete when the Wortman Sisters made their way to the bandstand and shared their talents with us. It is awesome to have the local talent to provide entertainment!

The weather was beautiful and the community truly came together to support this event, these kids, and PCW. We again thank all of our sponsors, volunteers, and all of you, for coming out to enjoy the day. Without every person involved, from those planning and preparing to those who showed up just for the food and everyone in between, this event would not have been as successful as it was! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

During the event and in the days following there have been many positive remarks around the community. One person told us, "Thanks for putting this on and bringing the community together again."

John 15:12 says, My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. It's been a tough year for so many. With covid, grasshoppers, the drought, wind and hail, and everything else going on in our world, it is so important to remember the community that we have in each other. Thank you for being a part of ours.