St. Charles Parish Festival concludes 25th year

By EMMALEE C. TORISK

etorisk@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

Thomas Poplar maintains that there’s not much to running a festival.

There are the rides and the food vendors, the parish-run booths and the live entertainment.

“It’s very, very simple to put one together,” said Poplar, co-chairman of the St. Charles Parish Summerfest, which concluded its three-day run Sunday night in the parking lot of St. Charles Catholic Church on Westview Drive. Tony Provenzale is the other co-chairman.

But Poplar acknowledged, too, that the St. Charles Parish Festival has had the past 25 years to become the “nice, well-oiled machine” it now is. Poplar himself has been a member of the festival committee since its start, much like the majority of its present members, who begin planning each year’s festival in January.

In that time, Poplar estimated, the festival has earned more than $1.5 million for the parish. “Every single penny” of that amount has gone directly into the parish’s general fund.

“It’s been the biggest [fundraiser for the parish], bar none, over the years,” said Poplar, who lives in Leetonia. “You don’t get that kind of money on a spaghetti dinner.”

Despite the passing of a quarter-century, not much has changed, Poplar noted.

Volunteers from the parish — about 150 to 200 each year — are still the festival’s lifeblood. The parish continues to “spend good money for entertainment,” and this year hosted the Boardman Jazz Ensemble, Bustin’ Loose, The House Band and Guys Without Ties. And a great deal of the festival’s success each year always depends on the weather.

Friday’s event was virtually rained out, but Poplar said he hoped that Saturday and Sunday would help make up the difference, possibly even pushing this year’s revenue to match last year’s.

“This is a big fundraiser called a festival,” Poplar said. “All parishes, no matter where they’re at, could use extra income.”

The biggest change in 25 years, he added, has involved fencing in the property and charging admission — it is $5 per person, with a $2 rebate, or $10 for a whole family, with a $4 rebate — because of security issues. This change happened about six years ago.

Courtney Senko, Adrianna Nicholson, Gage Nicholson and Lyndsay Renouf didn’t seem to mind the cost of admission. The four teenagers, who attended the festival Sunday evening, said they were there mainly to see friends and to eat food. They all had their favorites.

Courtney and Adrianna Nicholson, both 16-year-old juniors at Mineral Ridge, like the gyros and Italian sausages, respectively. Adrianna’s brother, Gage Nicholson, a 13-year-old freshman at Mineral Ridge, likes the funnel cakes. Seventh-grader Lyndsay, 12, likes anything Italian.

In the baked-goods booth, where participants spin a wheel to win treats, Rose Baker and Ellen Gradoville of Boardman, both parishioners, said their favorite part of volunteering at the fest is simply seeing others having fun.

In the future, “I hope that all the parishioners get involved,” Gradoville said.