St. Joseph Catholic Church’s Germanfest is back on with German food and music on September 26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. after missing last year due to COVID-19.
This will be the 34th annual year of the event, which was started after members of the church decided to have a festival that reflects the history of the parish and church. Lay Ecclesial Minister, Pam Minninger, said the event is meant to honor the founding mothers and fathers that were the original settlers of Gluckstadt and immigrants from Germany. She said many of those original families are still represented within the community.
“What started out as a very small thing quickly quickly grew into what it is today,” Minninger said.
Minninger said anybody and everybody is welcome out for a fun-filled family day. The Polka Meisters, an authentic German folk band from Oklahoma, will be performing during the event providing the opportunity for dancing. There will be a wide array of traditional German foods, such as shish kabobs, bratwurst, plenty of sauerkraut, many desserts and more. There will also be games and face painting for young attendees.
“One of our goals is just to bring people from the surrounding community and bring them together for a fun day of family time, good German food, German music and a relaxing day,” Minninger said.
Another purpose of the event is to raise money for local charities. Minninger said a good percentage of the proceeds from the event are tithed to various charities with additional money going into the operating budget of the parish. The charities for this year have not yet been finalized.
“We try to keep them as local charities so that it makes a difference outside of our parish but in the Jackson, Madison, Rankin County community,” Minninger said.
The event and parking is free, but meal tickets can be purchased beforehand at a discounted price. Tickets are $7 if purchased before the event by calling 601-856-2054 or meals are $8 when purchased at the event.
“We would love to invite everyone out,” Minninger said. “It’s been a long year and half that we’ve all been cooped up and being very careful. This is a good outdoor event that should be fun and safe for everyone to attend, and we would love to have them all here.”
