July 14, 2010

Parish festivals, bazaars offer great family fun

By John Gleason

Each year, many parishes in the Archdiocese of Denver host festivals and bazaars as a summer celebration as well as to salute their own diversity and history. For parishes with schools, the events provide vital monies to support education. When it comes to family-friendly entertainment, as well as delicious food, the local parish festival is second to none.  Below are some of the festivals being held in the coming weeks.

Mount Carmel, Denver
The annual festival at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, 3549 Navajo St. in Denver (click here for map), promises to be an exciting one.  Bring the entire family as they will offer games and rides, delicious food, music and a lottery drawing with cash prizes of $10,000, $3,000 and $2,000.  Mount Carmel Festival will be held July 16 and 17 from 5 p.m.-11 p.m., and July 18 from 5 p.m.-10:30 p.m.  For more information, call 303-455-0447.

Shrine of St. Anne, Arvada
For more than a quarter century, the Shrine of St. Anne, 7555 Grant Place in Arvada (click here for map), has put on its parish bazaar. This year’s event will be held July 23-25. Games for the whole family will include a fishing pond, darts and a dunking booth. Parish volunteers will be baking up sweet delights, everything from cakes and pies to cupcakes and cookies. Sausage sandwiches, Italian cuisine, hotdogs and hamburgers will also be on hand. Cash prizes for this year’s raffle are $5,000, $1,000 and $500. Part of the event also includes a garage sale in the school cafeteria where household items, toys and electronics can be found at bargain prices. St. Anne’s Bazaar will run 6 p.m.-11 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, and 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 303-420-1280.

Our Lady of Grace, Denver
Delicious Mexican food will be one of the centerpieces of the July 23-25 Our Lady of Grace Bazaar, 2645 E. 48th Ave. in Denver (click here for map). Complementing the ethnic cuisine will be other summertime favorites like hamburgers, hotdogs and ice cream. There will be games and prizes and a magician will perform daily.  Local bands will provide the entertainment.  The festival will be held 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 303-297-3440.

Potenza Lodge, Denver
The Potenza Lodge in Denver is once again proud to host the 117th annual feast of St. Rocco set for Aug. 20, 21 and 22 at the Potenza Lodge Hall, 1900 W. 38th Ave. in Denver (click here for map). The weekend will feature delicious sausage sandwiches, pizza fritta, homemade cakes and Italian pizzelles.  Try your luck at one of the games. Live music provided by the Jess Gerardi Band.  There will also be a raffle with prizes of $3,000, $1,000 and $500.  The procession of the statue of St. Rocco will begin at 3 p.m. Aug. 16 at Mount Carmel Church, 3549 Navajo St. More information is available online at www.potenzalodge.com.

St. Cajetan’s, Denver
The annual Summer Bazaar at St. Cajetan’s Parish, 299 S. Raleigh St. in Denver (click here for map), is set for Aug. 6-8. Parishioners will be serving up a wonderful mix of Mexican and American food.  There will be entertainment and games for the whole family.  The bazaar will be held from 6 p.m.-10:30 p.m. on Friday, from 3 p.m.-10:30 p.m. on Saturday, and from noon-10:30 p.m. on Sunday.  For more information, call 303-922-6306.

Queen of Peace, Aurora
Queen of Peace is proud to announce their eighth annual Festival de la Diversion, Sept. 11, with multi-cultural food, games and rides, a raffle with cash prizes totaling $6,000 and fine entertainment.  Queen of Peace Parish is located at 13120 E. Kentucky Ave. in Aurora (click here for map). For more information, call 303-364-1056.