LIMA, OH (WLIO) - The St. Gerard Festival has been a tradition in Lima since 1979, and this weekend it will mark its 44th year.
The Catholic community has prided itself on bringing together Lima for the annual festival, which includes live entertainment, rides and games, raffles, and what many regard as the "best chicken in Lima."
The festival has had record years in fundraisers and attendance the last two years, but those numbers don't happen without the hard work and dedication of those who make the festival happen. Vendors, musicians, ride workers, and helpful volunteers are just some of the people who help operate the festival.
Before it kicks off on Friday night, our crew caught up with some of the members of St. Gerards to see how this year's festival will look.
"I'm very very happy and excited because this traditions been going on for 44 years. I'm a redemptorist priest and this is part of our redemptorist community and over these years the parish has been very supportive of it and this is one of the big fundraisers that not only support the parish but its a community event and the people can come out," said Father John McLoughlin, associate pastor of St. Gerard Catholic Church.
"The planning starts right after the first of the year as far as ordering, scheduling, making sure we have the rides, the tents, you know everything and it all comes together this weekend. We have a wristband that we're offering all three days. So in the past we've only had wristbands on Sunday but we are offering wristbands on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So those will be available up till 4:00 on Thursday at a reduced price of 20 dollars. Once the festival opens they'll be 25. We also have a big raffle that we draw on Sunday night. We give away 20 thousand dollars total with the top prize being 10 thousand dollars. Those tickets are still available at the school office, at the parrish office and they will be available on the grounds if we don't run out. So they're 20 dollars a ticket and it's always a big draw so if you want a ticket make sure you get up here and get one because we usually do sell out by Sunday afternoon," stated Kelly Stolly, St. Gerard Festival co-chair.
The winner of the raffle ticket drawing on Sunday night will not need to be present to win. For more information on the festival visit the St. Gerard Catholic School Facebook page.
