By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
An annual event in St. Joseph is giving residents and people from around the region the chance to experience cultures they might never have before.
The 54th annual St. Patrick's Fiesta is this Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 pm.
Organizer Matthew Bobela says the event started out as just a small fundraiser when the church first opened.
"Just kind of help integrate the Irish Catholic community of St. Patrick, and now the new Mexican community, started as a small fundraiser and the over the years it has grown to the parishes sustaining fundraiser," Bobela tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. "So, this fiesta is what keeps St. Patrick Church going."
Bobela says the annual fundraiser draws in people from all over.
"We get our parishioners that attend, but it's people from all across the city, I've heard of people coming from out of town, from out of state, they'll come from Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, because they remember from a long time ago its fiesta weekend, and all the fun and celebration they'll come from out of town just to relive that," Bobela says.
The event will begin on Friday at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish at 4305 Frederik Avenue, with Mexican Food, a silent auction, and many more activities, running from 5 to 10pm.
Bobela says Saturday the event will expand to even more of Latin America
"Of course, we'll have Mexican food as well, our taqueria is coming back from Friday he's coming down and making tacos on Saturday, and then we'll have some other Mexican booths," Bobela says.
Bobela says booths featured on Saturday will present foods from other Latin American countries as well
"We'll have a couple more booths from Guatemala and El Salvador selling various types of food there too, I don't know exactly what they're offering," Bobela explains.
The event will move to St. Patrick Church, at 1723 S 12th Street, on Saturday, also running from 5 to 10pm.