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Parish celebrates 56th annual festival
St. Patrick’s Parish in Hubbard sponsors 56th annual event
By ROBERT CONNELLY
HUBBARD
The weather didn’t appear to dampen the enthusiasm of those attending the annual weekend-long St. Patrick’s Parish Festival on Sunday.
The 56th annual event featured rides, games, food booths, bingo and live entertainment nightly from Thursday to Sunday. A raffle for the prize of a Corvette Stingray or $25,000 cash, whichever the winner chose, went throughout the weekend.
Festival organizer Bill Bancroft said the rainy weekend did not impact the turnout for the festival on the parish grounds at 225 N. Main St. “It was chilly [Saturday] night, but I think overall, we have been fortunate. ... Everything was able to get underway at the regularly scheduled times.”
Carol Simeon and Linda Kester were attending the festival Sunday with their great-niece, Sadie Simeon. “We couldn’t come [Saturday] because it was raining, and today is the perfect day,” Carol Simeon said.
She also said that as her grandkids have gotten older, she now comes with Sadie. “She’s been enjoying it,” Simeon said. “I’ve got to find a face-paint place now.”
Sadie said her favorite part of Sunday’s festival was one ride in particular. “My favorite thing was the thing that was big and going around and around,” she said as she circled her head around, imitating a small Ferris wheel. “Now I’ve got a headache from it,” she added with a smile.
There were the staples of just about every festival: a funnel-cake booth, a small merry-go-round for kids,
volunteers working barbecue grills as attendees waited in line to enjoy the food and bingo indoors.
The festival even featured a midnight Mass at the end of Saturday’s festivities, something Bancroft said volunteers attend so they don’t miss Sunday Mass.
The weekend’s festivities were set to end with the drawing of the winner of the Corvette Stingray or $25,000 cash.
Bancroft explained that they ordered the car in October from Greenwood Hubbard Chevrolet and “it helped them out because they had something to show people for that amount of time in the showroom and it was already spoken for.”
But a more-expensive prize meant more tickets had to be sold to break even, Bancroft said. “Judging from the numbers so far, it’s been successful.”
He said if the winner picked the cash instead of the car, Greenwood would then sell the car like normal. Partnerships between the church and local businesses are important, Bancroft said. “[Greenwood wanted] to give back to the community as well, as we support them. I think it’s a mutual benefit for everyone as well.”
Although Bancroft did not have any numbers to provide, he said there were more people than last year up to Sunday afternoon.
He thanked the volunteers who support the event every year. “There’s a lot of people that aren’t even parishioners that come and help us,” he said.