FRYBURG — Mention the words “Fryburg Homecoming” and the first thing that comes to most people’s minds is “mock-turtle soup.”
The 125th annual Fryburg Homecoming, which is hosted by St. John Catholic Church, is planned for Sunday, Sept. 6, and begins at 4 p.m. The festival is always held the Sunday before Labor Day and is held on the church grounds.
The line will be long as festival-goers wait for the serving of the soup to begin. In addition to the mock-turtle soup, chicken noodle soup will also be served. Other items on the menu includes hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, walking tacos, brats, hot dogs, ice cream, homemade pies and candy bars.
A corn hole tournament will be held Sunday at 4 p.m. Sign-up begins at 3 p.m.
A kiddie tractor pull will begin at 6 p.m. Registration starts at 5:30 p.m.
Mechanical rides, a free train ride and games will all open at 4 p.m.
There will also be a special raffle stand and hog raffle. Tickets for both are $1 each and six for $5. Winners don’t have to be present to win.
Bingo will begin at 5:30 p.m. The craft wheel, chuck-a-luck, showdown poker and 25 cent paddle wheel will open at 6 p.m.
Hourly attendance raffle ticket drawings will be held. The winner must be present to win.
A 50/50 drawing will be held at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $1 each or six for $5. The winner must be present to win.
Raffle tickets with a $1,000 grand prize to be given away will also be available at the festival. Tickets are $1 each of six for $5. The winners do not need to be present to win. The winning tickets will be drawing at 11 p.m.
Matt Dietz will be the musical entertainment for the evening.
On Saturday, the first bicycle race will be held. Sign-in begins at 6:30 a.m., with the race to start at 7:30 a.m. at the church.
The bicycle ride, said Diane Davis, chairman of the event, will go to all four churches in the St. Petersburg Parish. The ride will start at St. John Church in Fryburg and go to St. Lawrence Church in Rhine. From there the cyclists will travel to Immaculate Conception Church in Botkins. They’ll go north to St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wapakoneta before heading back to St. John Church in Fryburg.
“There’s an added interest in bike riding,” said Davis, who added they wanted to try something new at this year’s festival. “This will be a leisurely ride for them.”
There won’t be any prizes awarded or age groups for the ride.
The sixth annual 5K Mock Turtle Run/Walk will be held Saturday. Sign-in begins at 7 a.m. with the race starting at 8 a.m.
Proceeds from the event benefit St. John Catholic Church, Fryburg.
