26 Aug 2010 St. Joseph hosts 98th annual bazaar

Bob Vandivere, head of the midway committee, said, “We had a monsoon about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. It quit about 3:30 (or) 4. We did a bunch of work to get it ready by 6 o’clock.”

The grounds flooded during the heavy rains, but workers piled on dirt and straw to make the midway passable, Vandivere said.

“A lot of people came out. It was a good turnout, especially considering the weather,” he said.

In fact, he said, the turnout was as good as the previous year’s, when the weather was cool for August – 85 degrees.
Vandivere said of supporters, “They base their whole summer around it. It’s good that we have that support, not only from our parish, but from people in town.”

He added, “It takes a lot of volunteers to put on the midway. A lot of work. It all goes to a good cause.”

Funds raised by the bazaar help support the school and ease tuition costs for students.
Marilyn Dail supervised volunteers in the kitchen at the parish hall, where a family-style dinner was served on Friday night. Box lunches were also sold throughout the community as part of the fundraising efforts.

“We’ve had a very good attendance. We’ve met our goals. We’re very pleased,” Dail said.

In the kitchen, 40 volunteers busily worked to pile pieces of fried chicken and mounds of spaghetti and meat sauce into serving dishes. An additional 75 volunteers worked in the dining hall, which bustled with families coming and going.

Dail said the bazaar sold more than 1,600 box lunches.

“We just thank the good Lord that he has blessed us with a very busy day and a beautiful night,” she said.

Jane Nabholz served as co-chair of the auction committee along with Erika Stobaugh. The bazaar included both a live and silent auction on Saturday night.

“It went great,” Nabholz said of the auction. “We had a large crowd; we made lots of money for the school and everybody had a great time.”

She continued, “During the live auction everybody came and knew what they wanted to bid for, which made the event even more enjoyable.”

Among the memorable items, she noted, “Danny Kordsmeier and his brothers and sisters bought a deer stand for their dad’s birthday. A group had a fun time bidding for the Lieblong-Dumboski spaghetti dinner.”

She noted the parish has two new priests, and it was their first time to attend the bazaar.

“They really had a good time meeting people, and they really enjoyed it,” she said.