Festival On The Green set for June 12-14, 2008 on the lawn at Marion Catholic High School....

The annual St. Mary's Festival on the Green will be Thursday, June 12 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday, June 13 from 5 p.m. to 12 p.m. and Saturday, June 14 from noon till 12 p.m. on the grounds of Marion Catholic Preparatory High School, 1001 Mt. Vernon Ave., Marion.

There will be many games for the kids, including inflatables. All tickets will be available on the festival grounds. And to make this a well rounded family event, we are planning some games of sport for the middle-teens and up.

We didn’t forget the old familiar kiddie games: football toss, basketball shoot out, balloon dart game, putt-putt golf course, fish ping pong, cake wheel, lollipop tree and many, many more too numerous to mention, that add to the delight of the younger festival goers.

One of the most popular draws at past festivals has been the barbeque chicken dinners on Friday evening. You will be able to savor our famous Chicken dinners as well as a selection of familiar festival food from the grounds, plus sit down and have an ice-cold pop or beer with your dinner. There will be wings served Thursday evening, and barbeque ribs on Saturday evening.

Don’t forget to drop by for each evening’s live entertainment. There will be a different entertainment under the large entertainment tent each evening.

If you’re the gaming type and enjoyed last year’s casino, you can visit again this year. It will be located just off the beaten path, in the MC Activity Center, where you can try your hand at those familiar games of chance or sit at one of the tables for a game of cards.

Clean your garage and attic for your Flea market donation again this year.  Each year this seems to continue to grow to the festival’s advantage. Donations will NOT be accepted till school is out, so check the bulletin for the limited drop off days and times.  But do spread the word that we host one of the biggest “garage sales” in the city. With all of the great items, there is always a line waiting for the doors to open. In that vain, there will be no early sales.

Be a winner…by now you should have received your raffle tickets and hopefully you have been selling them. This year there are 20 chances to win cash, with the top prize being $5,000 cash. You can be the winner of $200, by selling the grand prize winning ticket. Tickets are still $5 a piece, or a sheet of 6 for $25. You should sell the tickets in the sheet for $25.00 and remember to put your name as the seller so you too can be a winner. This raffle is one of the prime moneymakers of the festival, so if you can’t help in any other way, please help by sell as many tickets as possible. If you run out and need extra tickets, they are available by calling Dave and Diana Trefzger at 223-1554, or the parish  office. If you would like to purchase a ticket for the drawing, you can get your ticket here.

Again this year, we will feature a 5K run during Festival on the Green. Advanced registration is recommended for this event if you want a tee shirt. So, if you are interested in running or know someone who would like to, give Jeff Dine a call at 740-389-5186 or just return the registration.

All  areas of the festival are looking for help in many different ways. This is your way of showing your commitment to St. Mary and giving back to your parish. If you have never volunteered in the past and think you might want to help, please don’t wait for a call from someone… St. Mary Parish office at 382-2118, and let them know where you would like to volunteer a few hours.

As in the past, the St. Mary Festival on the Green financially supports our Catholic youth education programs--Marion Catholic High School, St. Mary Grade School, and the Parish School of Religion of St. Mary Parish.

2008 FESTIVAL WINNERS