Back in action

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish Festival returns, is celebrating 30 years

After a two-year hiatus due to the novel coronavirus, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel will be bringing back its annual parish festival.

The 30th Annual Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Annual Parish Festival will run from 2 p.m. to midnight June 24 at the Wickliffe Italian-American Club, 29717 Euclid Ave. Admission to the festival is free.

“In western Lake County, the Catholic parishes have adopted their own weekends so you don't step on others' toes, so we've been the last full weekend in June,” said the Rev. Greg Olszewski, administrator at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. “Usually, it was three days on the grounds, but because of coming out of (the pandemic), we're doing a one-day event but still honoring our ‘weekend.'”

According to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, the parish festival has been a wellknown and long-standing tradition in western Lake County. The festival routinely has attracted more than 20,000 visitors from the area.

Patrons will be able to indulge in a variety of food and beverage options, games and music.

“We'll see how it goes,” Olszewski said. “It should be a lot of fun. We're supposed to get good weather, and we cook the food on site.”

As part of the festival's live entertainment, two bands will be featured. KC and Co., a popular local band with a diverse song list, will perform from 3 to 5 p.m. Old Skool Cleveland, a band voted Best Cover Band in Cleveland in 2019, will be playing from 6 p.m. to midnight. Old Skool is a high-energy band with an ever-evolving song list, paying tribute to the '80s and '90s hip hop, R&B, dance, pop, rock, funk, classic disco and current hits.

Children's games, Whipple the Face Painter, Swifty the Clown and a master balloon artist also will be featured at the festival in addition to bocce, bingo and other games for adults. The festival will also have a grand prize 50/50 raffle and a basket auction.

“We've got about 72 baskets, plus some premium ones that'll be (for a) silent auction,” Olszewski said. “It's always a way to get together. All people can come and have a good time. It's meant for fun.”