It’s not the biggest celebration in the area, but it’s certainly one of the oldest.
Volunteers are gearing up for Saturday’s 142nd Fourth of July celebration in St. Patrick.
Ellen Krueger is the 80-year-old unofficial tour guide for the tiny community on Highway 81 northwest of Canton, and she hasn’t missed many Independence Day festivals.
“It’s good, old-fashioned fun,” Krueger said. “It’s like old home week. You see people you don’t see very often.”
Father Paul Hartley will begin the day’s events by celebrating Mass at 10 a.m. in the world-famous Shrine of St Patrick Catholic church.
A chicken dinner will be served from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Shrine Hall.
There will be games, souvenirs, a country store, concession stand, Amish goods and vendors. The Daughters of Isabella will have a drawing for a quilt at 3 p.m.
“We usually have a big crowd,” Krueger said.
And then there’s the greased-pig contest. The ever-popular event is at 2 p.m.
Soap suds are spread on a small oinker and then the kids try to catch the animal and drag it to a circle in the center of the pen.
“What’s fun is to see the reaction of those kids,” Krueger said. “They throw up their hands and say ‘Ewwwww.’”
The day serves as one of two big fund-raisers for the parish. The other, of course, is on March 17, when people from around the world make the trek.
“We kind of just split (the duties) up,” Krueger said. “It takes everyone in the parish.”
Years ago, someone suggested skipping the festival and holding a “paper picnic,” in which people donate money rather than get together for fun.
“It flopped,” Krueger remembered. “It just didn’t work.”
For more about Saturday’s events and the community, log on to www.mayo-ireland.ie/patrick.
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It’s not the biggest celebration in the area, but it’s certainly one of the oldest.
Volunteers are gearing up for Saturday’s 142nd Fourth of July celebration in St. Patrick.
Ellen Krueger is the 80-year-old unofficial tour guide for the tiny community on Highway 81 northwest of Canton, and she hasn’t missed many Independence Day festivals.
“It’s good, old-fashioned fun,” Krueger said. “It’s like old home week. You see people you don’t see very often.”
Father Paul Hartley will begin the day’s events by celebrating Mass at 10 a.m. in the world-famous Shrine of St Patrick Catholic church.
A chicken dinner will be served from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Shrine Hall.
There will be games, souvenirs, a country store, concession stand, Amish goods and vendors. The Daughters of Isabella will have a drawing for a quilt at 3 p.m.
“We usually have a big crowd,” Krueger said.
And then there’s the greased-pig contest. The ever-popular event is at 2 p.m.
Soap suds are spread on a small oinker and then the kids try to catch the animal and drag it to a circle in the center of the pen.
“What’s fun is to see the reaction of those kids,” Krueger said. “They throw up their hands and say ‘Ewwwww.’”
The day serves as one of two big fund-raisers for the parish. The other, of course, is on March 17, when people from around the world make the trek.
“We kind of just split (the duties) up,” Krueger said. “It takes everyone in the parish.”
Years ago, someone suggested skipping the festival and holding a “paper picnic,” in which people donate money rather than get together for fun.
“It flopped,” Krueger remembered. “It just didn’t work.”
For more about Saturday’s events and the community, log on to www.mayo-ireland.ie/patrick.
