Harvest Fest brings the best of fall

ST. CLAIR SHORES — St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church is hosting a harvest festival on Sept. 20 filled with vendors and fun fall events for everyone to enjoy.

Lucy Slater, St. Isaac Jogues advancement and formation coordinator, said eventgoers can expect a priests versus sisters softball game, vendors, kids games and more. They can also see exotic animals such as a snake, a chameleon, other reptiles and more from Grosse Pointe Zoology as well as Polish folk dancers from Zakopane Polish Folk Dance Ensemble. 

Slater said the animal shows are focused on education. 

“And the owner is also a previous parishioner of St. Isaac Jogues. So he and his wife have been very kind to give us a nice discount and they’re really excited to be here for the day,” Slater said. 

Dave Ellis, co-chair of the event, said it’s not a petting zoo, but an event to teach children and young adults about caring for animals and interacting with them. 

The event lasts from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Beer and food tents will also be available for guests to enjoy throughout the day. 

Slater said the festival has grown over the years starting as the church’s Oktoberfest.

“Which was this huge parish festival,” Slater said. “It was going on since the inception of St. Isaac Jogues.” 

She went on to say that before the COVID-19 Pandemic, things died down to a parish picnic.

“But just coming out of COVID it started growing into a larger festival,” Slater said. “So as of last year, the official name, Harvest Fest, was kind of born from that.” 

Ellis said it’s more of a community event than a church picnic. 

“I make the comment, if you like the social district, you will love being here this day,” Ellis said. 

He said it’s all that’s involved in a social district and more. 

“We really want to be very inclusive and have the community come to this event,” Ellis said. 

They made sure to pick a weekend that didn’t coincide with a social district. 

Slater said they wanted to have events stacked on top of each other so everyone could enjoy the event and the fun lasts all day.

There will also be a cornhole tournament with two semi-professional leagues offering cash prizes and one amateur league for anyone to play and have fun. It is $25 to sign up before the event and $40 the day of the event. 

To find more information go to saintisaacjogues.com/community-events. The church is located at 21100 Madison Street.