SIDNEY — For the second straight year, Holy Angels Catholic Church in Sidney will host its annual Parish Picnic and Family Festival on the campus of Lehman Catholic High School located at the intersection of state Route 29 and Interstate 75. The Parish Picnic is scheduled for Saturday, June 23, from 4 to 11 p.m. and everyone is welcome.
“The move from the Fairgrounds to Lehman last year was a great success,” said this year’s Festival Chairman Chad Sollmann. “The location supports the family-friendly atmosphere we are trying to create because of the open grassy area on the football field for the kids’ games. Things are not so spread out and parents can keep an eye on their kids while having their own fun. Parking and restrooms are convenient too.”
Sollmann added that planning for the one-day event has been much easier after one year at the new location. Joining Sollmann on the Parish Picnic committee are Second Chair Todd Ratermann and Third Chair Jeremy Miller. Co-Chairs are Jake Hughes, Jeff Fannon and Melissa Jock.
Catholic Mass will be celebrated at 3 p.m. before the official start of the festival at 4. Held last year in the school chapel, Mass has been moved to the Schlater gym on campus to accommodate the overflow crowd.
“We will have many old favorites and some new things,” said Sollmann. “New food choices include three food trucks – Cumberland Kettle Corn, Koni Ice, and Poeppelman’s Concessions which sells typical fair foods. We will also have Moeller Brew Barn joining us this year.”
Speaking of food, there will be Coach Dick Roll’s famous chicken dinners, smoked brats, French fries, pizza, German desserts, and the soup and sandwich stand inside the air-conditioned school building.
Although there are no carnival rides, kids will have plenty to do with Romrick Railway Train Rides, face painting, miniature donkeys, football and baseball toss, fishbowl ping pong, obstacle course, and more. Teens and adults will be able to enjoy cornhole and try tomahawk throwing at the Man of God booth.
Kid-friendly entertainment includes a performance by the Vacation Bible School students at 4:30 p.m., On the Edge of Illusion Magician at 5 p.m., and back by popular demand, Crazy Craig Mullenkamp the Juggler at 6:30 p.m. Thick and Thin, a two-man group performing music of the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, will take the stage at 8 p.m. to entertain all ages for the rest of the evening.
Games of chance including showdown, poker, big wheel, blackjack and tip books will provide fun for adults. There will also be the always popular bingo and the cake booth.
A preamble to the main event will kick off on Friday evening with the Parish Picnic Tennis Challenge sponsored by Money Concepts on the Lehman tennis courts. Doubles competition will be held on Friday starting at 6 p.m. The singles will start on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. Players can enter for $10 and a can of balls by signing up at www.holyangelssidney.com. Sign-up deadline is June 18.
A 3V3 Soccer Showdown will also be held on Saturday morning. Cost is $30 per team and registration can be found on the Parish Picnic Facebook page or by emailing Cameron Jock at [email protected].
Raffle tickets, a mainstay of the Parish Picnic, have already been mailed to all Holy Angels parishioners. In a new twist, each raffle ticket is now $5, but the slate of prizes is as amazing as ever. Thanks to many generous donors, 84 prizes totaling over $19,000 will be awarded. Many of the winning tickets will be worth cash, including five $1000 prizes donated by Holy Angels Parish. Other prizes include a premium queen mattress set from Goffena Furniture, a $500 gift card from Francis Furniture, vehicle wash and detailing from Helman Brothers, and four Dayton Dragons box seats from Dan Hemm Chevrolet-Buick-GMC-Cadillac.
The raffle drawing will be held at the end of the night and you do not have to be present to win. To purchase tickets, see a parishioner or call Holy Angels Church at 937-498-2307.
