St. John XXIII Catholic School to continue Middletown tradition with annual community festival
Continuing a longstanding tradition in Middletown, St. John XXIII Catholic School will host its three-day community festival Friday through Sunday, June 25, 26 and 27, 2021.
“It’s really only been ‘The Festival at St John XXIII’ for one year, because last year we had to cancel due to COVID-19,” says Dawn Pickerill, principal at St. John XXIII Catholic School, a private Catholic school that educates 450 students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade, and preschool, beginning at age 3.
Prior to 2019, the Fenwick Festival was hosted by Bishop Fenwick High School for more than 60 years. From 2004 to 2018, the festival moved to Fenwick’s new location at 4855 OH-122. Over the course of the three-day event, about 15,000 to 20,000 people have typically turned out. The festival transitioned from Bishop Fenwick High School to St. John XXIII Catholic School in 2019 and the event moved back to its original location on Manchester Road (which is also the old Fenwick High School location and the current site for St. John XXIII), bringing the festival back home. Hundreds of volunteers, including a core group of a dozen retired men, have been helping to put the festival on for many years. The majority of the men are also part of Light Up Middletown’s “Grandpa Gang.”
“They were all happy to assist the school in bringing it back to the original Manchester Road location,” Pickerill says. “The community also loves having it back and there has been an overwhelming response.”
With a goal of around $100,000, the festival serves as a fundraiser, benefitting students and their families.
“What we charge in tuition doesn’t cover the cost of education for each child. We try to keep our tuition low and affordable for families who are looking for a different education for their children… There’s always a gap between what it costs to educate and what we ask people to pay, and that gap per student is about $3,000. So, we have to make up that gap somehow. One of the main ways we make it up is through fundraising,” Pickerill says.
The Festival at St John XXIII will be held on the school grounds at 3806 Manchester Road in Middletown and the event will open at 6 p.m. Friday and at 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Highlights will include kiddie games, rides, food and beverages as well as adult gambling games like Jumbo Poker and Blackjack, pull-off tickets and more. There is also a popular basket raffle booth. Admission is free. Games, rides, activities, food and beverages are available for purchase.
Friday night, the festival will feature Italian sausages made by the Sons of Italy. On Saturday night, there will be barbecue from Combs BBQ Central, and Sunday will mark the 50th anniversary of the Sons of Italy Spaghetti Dinner at the festival.
“We wanted to be able to do something for the community, to be in partnership and be involved with them, and have something to offer them,” Pickerill says. “If we can offer an outdoor place where people can be safe, and can come together, we want to do it.”
