Plans underway for Arcadia St. John sesquicentennial

By RENEE WEBB
Content and Design Coordinator

This summer St. John Church in Arcadia, which is part of the which is part of Good Shepherd Parish, will reach a milestone when it marks its sesquicentennial.

According to one of the members of the central planning team, Mae Vonnahme, the 150^th anniversary celebration is slated for Aug. 30 and 31. 

Members of the planning committee encourage present and past parishioners, community members and area Catholics to save the date.

While not all plans for the celebration have been finalized, many events are set. On Saturday, Aug. 30 the day will kick off with a flag raising by the American Legion.

“From there we will have a car show and the food stands open,” she said, noting the car show runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. “The parade is at 2 p.m. and after that all of the activities will begin.” 

Various children’s games and entertainment such as inflatables will be among the offerings. That evening there will be an auction and dance.

The celebration will conclude on Sunday with a noon Mass followed by a chicken dinner from 1 to 2:30 p.m. catered by Staley’s Chicken.

Amber Hoffman, another member of the planning team, said the festivities this August are important because it will celebrate their history and church.

“It’s also a celebration to bring our church communities together since we have combined to become one parish within several surrounding area churches,” she said. “It’s a fun time to remember and celebrate together.”

Vonnahme said St. John has been an icon of the community for 150 years.
Both women spoke about the opportunity for fellowship and building community that the celebration will provide.

Vonnahme mentioned on Friday evening alumni who attended the former St. John’s School in Arcadia as well as Holy Cross School, which served students from both Arcadia and Vail, are invited to an all-school reunion for drinks at the Arcadia American Legion Hall.
“I think the best part about these celebrations is the time we get to spend together with our families,” said Hoffman. “There is so much going on with the children’s activities, food, parade, tournaments and more that it’s nice to have families from all over come back ‘home’ to celebrate together.”

Initial plans for the event began to take shape last fall and the committee has been meeting monthly for more than six months.

“It’s been a real team effort,” said Vonnahme.

In conjunction with the 150^th anniversary, two women of the parish with the help of the Ladies Guild have been organizing a tie-blanket project where parishioners have come together to make blankets that will be sold during the sesquicentennial celebration. Proceeds will go to the church.

“We also had a huge help in making them through our middle school students at Kuemper Catholic,” said Hoffman, who noted that the current Ladies Guild president is a teacher at the school. “She brought a bunch of the fabric to school and had kids help make them if they had study hall time or during their homeroom as part of their service projects. They had a blast.”
Another element of service tied to the celebration will be a food drive that will be held for two to three weeks leading up to the church anniversary. The food drive is going to be held in honor of all of the religious sisters and priests who taught at St. John’s, Holy Cross and Kuemper throughout the years.

Along with finalizing some of the plans and continuing to make blankets, Hoffman pointed out that they are still looking for live auction and silent auction items. If anyone has anything to donate for the auctions, they can contact Hoffman or any member of the planning committee.
Soon they will start organizing volunteers to help with shifts during the celebration.

In the case of rain, events will be moved to Aug. 31.

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