St. Mary’s Festival in Waterloo starts Thursday

St. Francis-St. Clare Parish will have their annual three-day Summer Festival from July 23-25 with each day featuring food, games, and different entertainment each night at St. Mary’s located at 25 Center Street in Waterloo. Judy Young and Ellen Hughes, co-chairs, tell all of the food, entertainment, and children and adult games are under huge tents, so this event goes on rain or shine. There is something for every member of the family with 20 games for children, games of chance for adults, and our ever-famous Cake Booth. This is a family event and a chance for the community to come together.” The Big Raffle tickets with over $10,000 in prizes will be sold throughout the festival with the winners drawn at 10:00 pm on Saturday. Tickets may be purchased ahead of time by calling Joan Bells or Liz Young at (315)-539-8473 or (315)-651-2921. Each night the Food Booth opens at 5:00 pm with a Chicken Barbecue held on Thursday. For the first time a drive-up will be available on Chestnut Street. Friday a Fish Fry will take place (no drive-up). Saturday will be Ala Carte. The Food Booth carries fried dough, hot dogs, hamburgers, Italian sausage, French fries, pasta, beans, greens & beans, ice cream cones/dishes/sundaes, etc. The food is cooked on the premise. The Game Booths open at 6:15 each evening with children’s games offering players and winners coupons. Janette Seamans, chair of the Prize Booth, explains that “children save their coupons for the night or for days to trade in for a large selection of prizes. There are hundreds of prizes to choose from.” Each night Horse Rides will be available for children beginning at 6:30 pm and “Touch a Truck” at 7:00 pm. Evening entertainment begins at 9:00 pm with Thursday’s DJ “Rock with Bock”, Friday’s “Double Shot Band,” and Saturday’s “City Limits Band”. Other entertainment provided on Thursday at 6:00 pm is Geneva Martial Arts. On Friday at 7:00 pm the Community Band and a Hula Hoop Contest. On Saturday Dimensions in Dance at 6:00 pm and a Basketball Shoot Off at 8:30 pm. There is free admission and the public is invited. For more information contact the Parish Center at (315)-539-2944.