I Cannot Say it Enough…

Aug 9

I truly can’t say thank you enough. The Festival of the Sea 2026 is behind us and from what we can tell at this point is it was a great success. I cannot say thank you enough because there is no doubt that more time and energy go into this one event than any other non-liturgical event we have. Of course, all of the bills have not been paid so the numbers are still being crunched to get to the bottom line. I will share that with you soon.

Thank you to EVERYONE who said yes and volunteered at the Festival of the Sea 2026!! We could never have the Festival without your help! Your desire to serve is overwhelming. Thank you!! If you stood in a game booth waiting for folks to knock down some cans, toss a few rings, or squirt watering into a tiny opening, you helped. If you served beer under the tent, served a meatball hero, or sold Progressive 50/50, Car Raffle, or hourly 50/50 tickets, you also helped. We could not have created a wonderful event for our parish and the community without any of you.

Thank you to the 2026 Festival of the Sea Committee: Angela Ominski fumo (Special Events), Chris Miller (Maintenance), Jim Brady (Games), Lorri D'Orsi (Kitchen), Mary Lou McGurkin (Finance), Michelle DiBella (Special Events Coordinator), Neil Saunders (Games) and Tim Butler (Rides). There are so many moving parts, but this team works so well together. They didn’t miss a thing!

Thank you Joe and Lorri D’Orsi for once again organizing the kitchen and serving delicious food every night. A great thank you also to all of the volunteers who worked in the kitchen. Wow, was it hot in there! Despite the heat, their energy, dedication and teamwork was flawless. Thank you for feeding us last week! Thank you, Fr. Kevin for organizing and preparing all the soda and water for the week.

Thank you Ship Bottom Brewery for loaning us their beer trailer for the week, to Murphy’s Markets for the donation of a pallet of bottled water, to Costco, BJs, and Target for your support and gift card donations.

A special thank you to Lorri and Joe D’Orsi, Frank and Tina Duplak, and Leon and Joanne Slezak, for not only working in the kitchen but also for sponsoring the kitchen. Their generous donations paid for all of the food served at the Festival.

A special shoutout to Chris Miller and all of our maintenance team. They are always working in the background. They set up, take down, clean up, and make sure that everything is ready for the next day. When something goes wrong they are right there. Thank you Chris Miller, Brian Bell, Justin Minor, Bob Cook, Jesse Wirtz, Jacob Gillespie, and Jake Schafer. Thank you to our cleaning staff, Martha, Lilliana, and Michelle for their hard work, dedication, and countless hours behind the scenes that make us shine.

Thank you, Richard Engebretsen and Arian Salmani of Keel Marketing for the wonderful pictures, videos, and everything else that went out on social media.

A special shoutout needs to go to Amy Marks. When she accepted the position as the Director of Parish Operations, I am positive that she had no idea what it included. In true form, she does an outstanding job. As the chair of the FOS committee, she added some new and creative ideas to augment the quality of our Festival and also increased our revenue.

Thank you to Michelle DiBella and Astrid Befumo from our Special Events Office for coordinating our incredible team of volunteers throughout the Festival. It is not easy task to ensure that every area and position is staffed!

Thank you to our Family Faith Formation team, Ava Firmani, Christine Sherry, and Grace McClellan for organizing our youth volunteers and their coordinating activities. It was truly wonderful to see so many young people actively participating and serving on the fairgrounds.

Thank you, Campy’s Blue Star Amusements. Once again their professionalism speaks louder than anything else. The quality and variety of the rides and the dedication of their staff make them very easy to work with. Thank you for providing us with such a high-quality amusement experience. Thank you to Keith Campanello and Karyn [Campanello], Paul, Alyssa and Elizabeth Pampanin, and everyone at Campy’s Blue Star Amusements for your dedication to your craft.

Thank you to VanDyke Group and Barlow Buick GMC for sharing your half-page advertisement on the back of The Stafford Leader.

Thank you to all of our sponsors and especially The Van Dyk Group, the Presenting Sponsor of the Festival of the Sea 2026. Thank you to Dave Wyrsch, Sr., Cindy Wyrsch Kelley, and the entire team at The Van Dyk Group. We are most grateful for your continued generosity to our parish. Please see our website for the entire list of sponsors. Their generosity truly is what allows our Festival to be such a great success. If you patronize their stores or see them in person, please thank them for their support.

Again, I can’t say it enough... Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Peace and All Good.