Festival

Our Parish Festival is an opportunity to bring our community together in faith, fellowship, and fun. So together we pray…Through our Lord Jesus Christ, and the intercession of Saint Vincent de Paul, we pray our parish festival be a source of joy and outreach to each other, and our community. Father, give us the grace to see Jesus in each person we encounter and to be Jesus for each person we serve. Amen.

2024 Festival

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE – Saturday, July 20, 2024

10:00AM – Dedication of the new Marian Grotto at The Grove to open the Festival

10:00AM to 8:00PM – Festival

12:00PM to 7:00PM – Father Richard’s Chicken Dinner (reservations required)

10:00AM to 3:00PM – Music by DJ Pete Highlands

3:00PM to 8:00PM – Mon Valley Push Polka Band

12:00PM to 5:00PM – Pony Rides (located near the Kidz Zone)

Food & Activities

Chicken Dinner

Please make your reservation now for you and your family for “Fr. Richards Stuffed Chicken Dinner.” Father Richard has made a fun promotional video with a few special guests. Both Dine In & Take Out are available once you tap the button. By making your reservation now you help us prepare for our guests and prevent waste. Reservations Required.

Fr Richard’s Stuffed Chicken Dinner Menu:

Fresh garden salad with assorted dressings
Roast chicken breast with home-made herb stuffing and Suprême sauce
Honey dill green beans
Buttery mashed potatoes
Fresh-baked dinner rolls
Assorted sliced cakes with buttercream icing
Dine-in beverage choices are iced tea, lemonade, water, coffee, and hot tea. Bottled water is included with take-out dinners.

Play Video

Fill Out Form. No “sign-in” needed.

Additional Activities

Additional Activities

Food Booths:
Hamburger and Fries, Halushki, Pierogies, Pizza, Ice Cream, Popcorn, Kielbasa, Popcorn, Hot Italian Sausage, Fresh Squeezed Lemonade, Fresh Popcorn, Funnel Cakes, & Ice cream

Special Area:
“Area 21” by All Saints Brewing – begins at 3pm

The shaded seating area will also be expanded with covered tents for dining.

The Kidz-Zone area will have pony rides from 12-5pm

Lloydsville Volunteer Fire Department will have the Saint Vincent Fire truck at the Grove to see from 10am to early afternoon.

Musical Entertainment:
DJ Pete Highlands will be there from 10am-3pm. The Mon Valley Push polka group will be performing at 3pm.

Volunteers

LAST CHANCE TO SIGN-UP TO VOLUNTEER FOR THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL!!!

Your time and talent are invaluable and we would be blessed to have you on board to make this year’s festival a success! Assistance is needed in all areas. Clearances for volunteers 18 years of age and older are mandatory per the state of Pennsylvania and Diocese of Greensburg. Contact the Parish Office for assistance with clearances.

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS – Your time volunteering at the festival counts towards service hours. Dan Colcombe, Festival Chairperson, or Erin Colcombe, Director of Faith Formation, can sign for your service hours.

EXTRA ELBOW GREASE NEEDED AT THE GROVE! A focused effort organized by Larry Sweeney is happening at the Grove. We want to shine up the Grove even more to prepare for our guests and our fellow parishioners. Some of the fun includes, but is not limited to pressure washing, sanitizing, general cleaning, sweeping, shop vacuuming, moving items, etc. Contact Larry to make the final push in preparations this week. Larry’s number is 724-208-4625. Thank you!

Service Hours For Students

Service Hours are available for our diocese school students. 7th and 8th graders and all high school students are needed to help at the upcoming Saint Vincent Parish Festival. The date of the festival is Saturday, July 22 from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Location: The Saint Vincent Grove. 320 Monastery Drive, Latrobe PA 15650

Volunteers are encouraged to work a few hours. Please follow this link to register to volunteer at the festival and receive service hours.

Erin Colcombe – Director of Faith Formation for Saint Vincent Parish or Dan Colcombe – Festival Chairperson can sign off on your hours after your shift is over. Please bring your form from your school.

Volunteers Register Here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfSW7Hu-d8reO_3oQT9d1fURigAbBTchnsB6G3TOd4UdevvIg/viewform

There are many opportunities for service from food runners at Fr. Richards chicken dinner, table clearing at the “Gathering Tent”, “Kidz Zone” and more. *You may be asked to help in multiple areas during your time depending on our guests’ needs and to keep it interesting!

You will see this box near the top of the form (pictured below). Please select from the “Floating Volunteer” box the time you would be available to participate.

Near the bottom of the registration form you will see these series of questions. Please answer them as shown below.

Announcements & Updates

Pony Rides will be at the Kidz Zone from 12-5pm
Important! Parking Information: Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood Trolley will be transporting guests to and from the Grove from the Fred Rogers Center on the college campus for door-to-door service. Parking is available at the Fred Rogers Center parking lot on the Saint Vincent College Campus. Shuttle services will begin at 9:30AM and will continue until 9:00PM. No fee is charged for this door-to-door transportation. If you drive to the Grove, all vehicles will enter on the upper side of the Grove for field parking only. Park as directed in the field following directions from our friendly parking attendants. Guests with Handicap Placards displayed will get special parking permissions as space allows. Golf carts will be used to transport guests that would like a ride from their cars in the field to the Grove parking lot. Please remember ALL TRAFFIC ENTERS ONE WAY FROM THE FIELD ENTRANCE. Thank you.
Tracy, Chair of the Basket Raffle Booth, requests baskets with a minimum value of $50. Please include your name and address on the tag.
We are putting together a new program booklet in the format of an almanac. This will be available at the Burger Bash & Car Show.
Adjusting festival areas to create a better experience all around and to accomodate the Kidz Zone with the Pony Rides, necessitated moving Bingo this year. Bingo will be offered during the Burger Bash & Car Show on Saturday, September 28 and not during the festival.
Basket Booth Announcement from Tracy - Hello fellow parishioners and friends! If you plan to donate a basket, please include your name and address on a tag on the outside of your basket. This will allow your donation to be acknowledged for your tax purposes through a charitable donation letter from the parish. You must indicate the approximate value of the items for parish reporting guidelines. The minimum value requested is $50. All contributions must be at the Grove by Wednesday, July 17, from 1:00pm to 7:00pm. Raffle basket questions? Contact Larry Sweeney at 724-208-4625.
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to warm up your ovens! We are ready for you to start baking your best to donate to the Bake Sale Booth. Donated baked goods will be received inside the Grove Friday, July 19 from 1:00pm to 7:00pm. Contact Lillian Graber 724-433-8873 with any questions. Thank you for your labor of love!

FESTIVAL DROP OFF DATES:

July 10, 17

(WEDNESDAYS ONLY)

at the Grove

1 to 7 p.m. drop off:

Giving Tree

Jewelry

Peddler’s Village

Raffle Basket Questions? Contact Larry Sweeney at 724-208-4625

Please NO books, DVDs, clothing, shoes, curtains, or bedding.

Festival Sponsorship Sign Up

To be printed and distributed at the Burger Bash & Car Show September 28^th

Silver

Bronze

Thank you to our sponsors. All of our sponsorship spots have been filled.

A Special Message

Dear Friends,

A church, a parish, is a kind of beacon in the confusing landscape of our present times. Many people have mentioned that they feel uplifted just by seeing the Basilica from a distance as they travel to work or go about their daily errands. The building is kind of a sacrament – an outward sign – of the believing community – a community called together by Jesus Christ.

Jesus poured out the Spirit upon his disciples. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are ways in which the followers of Jesus continue his work in the world. We are called to bring light, healing, reconciliation, food, and clothing to the poor and needy of our area: we are to be light of the world.

When we support a parish, we support the Lord’s work. Specialized staff members take charge of different aspects of our service to others. Parishioners volunteer in the community and in all sorts of projects to help the less fortunate of our community. Often our work calls us to look beyond our own boundaries and to collaborate with other parishes, and even with other Christian Churches.

There is an old saying – “by helping the preacher, you receive the same blessings as the preacher”. Here at festival time your participation and generosity help us help others. May the Lord bless you for your kindness.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Richard Ulam, OSB

Read A Letter About Our Free Will Donation.

Your support is greatly appreciated! Please know that by supporting Saint Vincent Basilica Parish a portion of our Festival proceeds are being donated to the Blackburn Center in Greensburg which provides support services for victims of domestic abuse.

Upcoming Events

This year’s “Burger Bash & Car Show” scheduled at the Grove on September 28 from 12:00pm – 5:00pm. This will give our parish community another opportunity to gather for some fun and fellowship. This is where the new church festival almanac will be distributed.