St. Joseph School annual bazaar set for Aug. 5-6

Randy Kordsmeier, from left; Jason Covington, chairman of the St. Joseph Catholic School Bazaar Executive Committee; and John Scherrey pose with the bazaar’s grand prize, a 2017 Ford Escape. The 104th bazaar is scheduled for Aug. 5 and 6 at the school in Conway. Raffle tickets are being sold for the vehicle, which will be given away at the close of the bazaar.
Randy Kordsmeier, from left; Jason Covington, chairman of the St. Joseph Catholic School Bazaar Executive Committee; and John Scherrey pose with the bazaar’s grand prize, a 2017 Ford Escape. The 104th bazaar is scheduled for Aug. 5 and 6 at the school in Conway. Raffle tickets are being sold for the vehicle, which will be given away at the close of the bazaar.

CONWAY — Supporters of St. Joseph Catholic School in Conway have gotten pretty good at organizing the school’s annual bazaar. After all, they’ve had 104 years of practice.

This year’s fundraiser is scheduled for Aug. 5 and 6 and features an old-fashioned midway on the school grounds. In addition to the tried-and-true activities — a homemade spaghetti dinner, boxed lunches and a raffle for a vehicle — new this year is an online auction.

Nicole Rappold, director of development for the school, is helping to get the word out about the auction.

“Instead of having an event, it’s going to be online,” she said. “But our items will be available to view in Spiritan Hall during the midway. People can certainly come in and look at what they’re bidding on. There will be smartphones and laptops available” that people can use to place bids.

The auction, at bidpal.net/bulldog2016, will open Wednesday and continue through Aug. 6 when the midway closes, she said. A sneak preview of items on the St. Joseph School Facebook page included a reserved pew for 2017 graduation and a guided duck hunt.

Raffle tickets for a chance to win the grand prize — a 2017 Ford Escape — are available at several locations, including the St. Joseph Parish office, 1115 College Ave., (501) 327-6568. Tickets will also be sold at the midway. They are $2 each, six for $10, 18 for $20 and 100 for $100. The vehicle will be given away Aug. 6 at the close of the bazaar.

An all-you-can eat spaghetti dinner will be held from 5-8 p.m. Aug. 5 in the St. Joseph Parish Hall, and boxed lunches will be available from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day. Orders can be emailed to boxlunch@conwaycorp.net until Friday. The boxed lunch costs $9 and includes spaghetti, Jerry’s Brats, green beans and a roll. Dessert can be added to a boxed lunch for $1. Dinner is $13 for adults and $9 for children and consists of spaghetti, fried chicken, sauerkraut and a tossed salad.

A sinful assortment of homemade cakes and pies will be available at the dinner, too.

The midway, a longtime tradition, will be full of games and food — even more than last year, said Jason Covington, chairman of the bazaar executive committee.

Games and booths will include Plinko, a sausage-and-cheese booth, an animal fair, a ring toss and a goldfish throw — it’s not what it sounds like; participants throw a pingpong ball into a goldfish bowl to win a prize. There will also be a basketball shoot and go fish, in which participants get a cane fishing pole and throw the line over a wall to “hook” candy and small toys.

Covington said also back this year will be “my dad’s favorite,” the ham-and-bacon stand. Festivalgoers pay to get a wooden paddle with a number on it, and when all the paddles are “sold,” a numbered wheel is spun to determine the winner, he said. “I always go home with a lot of meat,” Covington said.

He got a special plea to bring back the duck pond, where children can pick up a plastic duck floating in a pond to win a prize. “My nephews and nieces said, ‘I wish you’d bring back the duck pond,’” he said, and he complied.

Two inflatable obstacle courses, one for older children and one for younger ones, will be part of the midway fun, too, and a dunking booth will feature volunteers willing to take the plunge.

Covington said people may win prizes as part of a “raffle row” at the midway. Among the prizes are two kayaks and a stay in a cabin.

Live music is something new for the midway this year, with talented parishioners providing the performances, he said.

Also, Covington said more carnival fare — corn dogs, funnel cakes, snow cones and cotton candy — is being added to the traditional hamburgers, hot dogs and Jerry’s Brats. Mexican food, including burritos, chips, salsa and cheese dip, will be available, too.

“You have a lot of people say … ‘I’d like a little more variety.’ We do a survey at the end of the year and see if there are any changes to make it more of a festival atmosphere,” he said.

The midway will be open until the crowds dwindle, probably 10 or 11 p.m. Aug. 5 and about 11:30 p.m. Aug. 6.

Another tradition at the St. Joseph School Bazaar is the flea market, which will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 5.

Covington said the event is for anyone who wants to come have fun. “It’s for the whole community,” Covington said.

Rappold said the bazaar is vital for the school. “For 100 years now, it’s been really critical to our budget; it’s helping all families with their tuition, bringing their costs down,” she said. “We don’t get any state or government funding, so it’s huge.”

She said her family, including her three sons, enjoys attending the bazaar every year. “We just play the games all night long, having a good time,” Rappold said. “It’s old-fashioned family fun, you know.”

Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.

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