Festival Food is good for the soul!

Festival food is good for the soul. Not so much for tastebuds & heartburn.
This weekend, we all discovered just how good festival food & fun can be!
Who isn't a good friend at a great summer festival you ask? Well, for one - the workers. A group of tireless, diverse parishioners and community folks - giving freely of their time & talents for the cause. The cause on this summer weekend was the St. Thomas Parish in Fort Thomas, KY. The heroes on this night - easy to spot. They are behind the booth bars, locked-down above the steam & smoke of grills, peddling raffle tickets, soaked in sweat, heat & humilty - and yet most all of these fabulous volunteers can muster-up a smile and embrace for old friends and new acquantances. Me? I was fortunate enough to have the label of "festival chair" - which means - I coordinate and sit in a chair & really do very little. The true heroes are the booth owners. Permit me just a moment to honor & thank a select few. Silent Auction Chairs Maggie Taul and Jean Anderson once again pulled together the most beautiful, poetic tent - a space that adds so much class to our outdoor party and a stroll down gorgeous gifts for our festival friends. How many hours did they put in to "chair" that booth? Think they showed up at 6pm to "run" that booth? Husbands were involved all day Thursday and Friday as well - building the displays. Words can not express how awesome that booth looked and how well received it was. The fruits of their labor? Approaching $20k in profits in one night, including the parish parties. Thank you Scott & Jean Anderson, Maggie & Nelson Taul & all the Party Organizers. How bout the new Hat Booth - thrown together in a week or two by Molly Buten, so the upper lot could have one kids & color destination. Without that one booth - all kids get shipped to lower lot kiddieland. Thank you Molly - for everything. Next up, Cake Booth - Judy Osburg & Jean Cate. Thank you to ALL those parties responsible for the delicious cakes. Steak Raffle had a new owner this year. Heather Murphy Ward & family - thank you. Plant Raffle - how bout Fort Thomas Florist donating plants AND staffing the booth both nights. Wow. The Messmer family is a jewel in the crown of Fort Thomas. Thank you to the virgin Gambling Tent Chair - Mr. Greg Schneider - another first timer. Big 6 - Mr. & Mrs. Joe Grimme & Mr. & Mrs. Colwell - thank you. How about designing and building the Liquor Ring Toss? Thank you Randy & Diane Voet. Major Raffle Tickets? Rose & Christian Naberhaus worked for MONTHS on those sales. Thank you. Desserts & food service anyone? The entire choir family...Mary & David Hauber. A selfless group that goes about campus ever so quietly doing good. The very definition of Angels. Getting thirsty? Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts help serve up the refreshments - thank you. Beer decorations by Hosty & Randall families...The Dunking Booth was a huge success thanks to a bunch of folks from OUTSIDE the parish. Friday night, local high school basketball coaches volunteered to take the plunge and Saturday night was Ft. Thomas Police & Firemen. Thank you all and Mike Daly. The booth was generously run by a sponsor - The Barrington & Highland Spring Health Care Centers. Again, generosity flows thru St. Thomas like water over the sides of a dunking booth. Kiddieland, once again led by none other than Lisa & David Deavy. What those two are able to pull together down there in one week's time is stunning. The joy they spread from kid to kid and family to family has to be experienced to be truly appreciated. Lisa & David - thank you. Bill & Andrea Bunch, coordinating all the concessions -year in and year out. Thank you. How bout FREE Pizza donated by Connie & Paul Fessler at Pasquale's? Amazing. Jim McMahon - running the lower level bar for young famlies - thank you. ((Next year you can put the coolers full of beer in the refrigerator over night - not the walk in FREEZER. ))
How about the inflatable rides? Wanna spend a couple hours managing that fun? How about 5 hours for 2 nights times 4 fun rides? Try coordinating and policing those four "booths". Not one - four. Tom & Melissa Deburger - thank you. And Tom - next time you need a 15 minute break - no need to have your Uncle throw the breaker on those inflatables..just call me - we can arrange for breaks in ways that won't endanger children in falling inflatables. :)
Anyone know what Mark Fassler does for the festival year in and year out? Works 2 days prior running audio cables and speaker wires all over campus so we can enjoy music and live entertainment and a PA system. Mark - you are a true mentor and friend. John Hengelbrok? Just shares his family (thanks Rob & frat boys) and time ordering many raw materials for the festival and attending meetings for 2 months AND entertaining folks with Tom Meyer on the PA Mic. Thank you. Joe Finnegan? Ditto. Nelson Tents? Coke Products? Yup - Joe Finnegan works that. And thanks for also taking the plunge on the dunking booth - again Joe. Where does the cash flow to that each booth takes in? Who keeps the books and accounts in order? Mark Mcginnis. Mark - again - you inspired me all along this path. Thank you for your leadership. Who prepared most of the food..spending days settin up and slaving over a hot stove for the entire festival? Ed Melvin. Ed - thank you.
Pete Van Curen and Julie Van Curen - thank you for sharing your passion and insights and leading yet another successful festival. PVC - it was time well spent with you my friend. I'll never forget the adventure and hope Julie is well soon. Eric & Kim Neff and the families & students of the 8th grade class - thank you for working to clean & restore order to the campus on Sunday. That's it - I think I've covered everyone... if I've missed you - i'm terribly sorry - so please - thank you to all the workers of booths and booth chairs - and kids that volunteered - and oh yes Charlie Scheper - thank you for helping us around the clock. I'm sorry if i missed someone - it's bound to happen - you all are fabulous. OH WAIT - I did forget one: last but certainly not least - Mr. John Eberhart. I'm surprised John even answers the phone when I call - I know Debbie will not open their front door or answer their home phone when I call (your oldest told me that). When I asked John if he'd help lay-out the food menu...help order and prepare the food - he just said "YES". Didn't have to get back to me or check if his firm could do without him - "SURE NO PROBLEM" he said as he tipped his glasses back into place... HE then went about setting and selecting the menu - ordering...picking up & preparing food for a couple of weeks- then smoked pork shoulders ALL THURSDAY OVERNIGHT in Bob Heil's donated smoker so everyone could enjoy delicious pulled-pork....THEN (not done) he remained behind the grill and smoker for the entire festival. 12 hours locked literally behind bars in festival grill hell. Are you kidding me? Never once did he not smile when I visited & peered over the grill. OK once, but only once.
John - you inspire me every time we talk and work together. You are a great friend and inspiration. For some souls, volunteering comes quite naturally & easily. For me, no thanks - not for me....i've got better things to do with my time & family and career and sports interests...volunteering with a smile on my face is just not the way i was wired. Well hogwash. People change - and EVOLVE - for the better - thanks to people like you John and all the good folks at St. Thomas. I thank all of you and will lock arms with you and do good ANYTIME. Thank you for helping me do good, helping us do good. Damn it feels good - and that alone is all the food any soul ever needs. It's festival food - led by chef John Eberhart - and served up by all the great families and friends of St. Thomas in Fort Thomas.
See you next year.