900-plus volunteers help ensure success of festival in McCandless

You might say that it takes a parish.

More specifically, it takes a significant portion of the congregation to pull off St. Aidan Parish’s Summer Festival, which opened July 31 for, coincidentally, its 31st year.

“Over this festival week, we need more than 900 volunteerships to be filled, which is an incredible amount,” event chair Kristin Chick said. “People can come volunteer for a couple of hours, and then they can stay, ride, eat, hang out. We’re trying to encourage people to do that, and I think it’s working.”

The four-day fête at the parish’s St. Alexis campus in McCandless is a huge annual draw, with guests arriving primarily by shuttle to enjoy everything Chick mentioned, and more.

“This year, we expanded the number of rides we have,” the Rev. William Wuenschel, parish pastor, said. “We changed the stage. It used to be out in the parking lot, and we moved it over to the old apple orchard.”

With the temperature reaching into 90s as the festival began, the stage’s placement in a shaded area turned out well for audience members and entertainers, with students from Michele’s Dance Center in McCandless returning to provide the first series of performances.

Volunteers for the festival include students at Blessed Francis Seelos Academy, which is part of the St. Alexis campus, and those in the parish’s Faith Formation program, led by director Darcy Osby.

“The proceeds go to both of those programs,” Chick said, “so the families are eager to participate.”

She and other organizers already have an eye toward 2025:

“The day after we tear down, we start planning for next year.”

The festival continues from 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Indoor dining is available from 4 to 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit saintaidanfestival.com.