Public invited to ‘Taste of Sacred Heart’

     The Sacred Heart Catholic Church Parish Guild is hosting a new Fall Festival fundraiser this month.

   A "Taste of Sacred Heart" will offer something for everyone, surely to delight one's appetite.

   The event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 24, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. The public is invited to dine-in or purchase carry-outs. There will be no drive-thru.

   Tickets are $15 per person. With that, you can pick three of the six options available from the following:

   • Jones County Pork Producers

   • Jones County Beef Producers

   • La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant

   • The Great Jones County Fair "BBQ King," Kevin Miller

   • Italian specialty provided by the Guild

   • Dessert bar provided by Parish members

   For an additional $5, you can add another option to your order or a second serving of your favorite dish.

   Each of the six options will come with a main dish and a small sample of a side dish.

   "We're giving this idea a whirl," offered Guild member Mary Hogan.

   "It's a new spin on the Fall Festival," added Connie Goldsmith.

   This event is actually Sacred Heart's first in-person public event, with the exception of Mass, since the pandemic.

   Putting a new spin on their fundraiser, Goldsmith's daughter, Abby Jaeger, said the church wanted to find a way to attract younger people and families to the church.

   "It's a way to get new interest and new people involved," Jaeger said.

   "We have a dynamic parish," added Goldsmith. "We drew within our faith community."

   The idea for "Taste of Sacred Heart" originated with Goldsmith after attending the Jones County Ag Breakfast earlier this summer.

   "I saw a lot of our own members at the breakfast and helping out," she said of the volunteers associated with the county commodity groups.

   The various options will be set up in the church basement, Newman Hall, food truck-style.

   The Guild has been planning this event the last couple of months.

   A unique addition to "Taste of Sacred Heart" is "Holy Buckets of Fun." Typically the Fall Festival includes a silent auction; this is a fun spin on the concept.

   You can purchase 12 tickets for $10 or one for $1. Ticket chances can be placed in various sand pails filled with such items as a tuition voucher for Sacred Heart School, money for the hot lunch program (good at Sacred Heart School and the public schools), a breakfast for four, and various local gift certificates. Buckets will be tailored to adults and kids.

   "We want this to be a super fun event," urged Goldsmith.

   You do not need to be present to win a "Holy Bucket."

   Tickets will be sold for the next two weeks at the church and through Guild members. They will also be available the day of the dinner.

   "We don't know what to expect," noted Hogan of the crowd size. The church usually serves around 400 people at their Fall Festival. "Hopefully we'll run out of food."