St. Joachim’s fair springs to life

Deirdre Newman

Some of the classrooms at St. Joachim’s School have been around since

1949.

School officials are looking forward to the day when they can tear

the old classrooms down and build a new school.

To that end, they are looking to the St. Joachim Community Spring

Fair this weekend to help raise needed funds.

The fair, in its 11th year, will include food, games and carnival

rides. Raffle tickets will be sold with a grand prize of $7,500.

Other prizes are a new Gateway computer and a Mexican cruise.

In addition to raising money for a new school, the fair is a

bonding event for the church’s community, school officials said.

“For all of our parishioners who are volunteers, it helps us all

get to know one another better,” said Cathy Dressler, the school’s

administrative manager. “It’s a community builder, as well, when

we’re working together and chatting.”

Through the years, the fair has raised between $30,000 and $55,000

per year, Dressler said.

The fair will offer a variety of free musical entertainment,

including the Mater Dei High School Jazz Band on Friday night, blues

headliner James Harmon on Saturday night and a mariachi band with

folklorico dancers on Sunday.

Mayor Gary Monahan, whose daughter attends the school, said he is

looking forward to the weekend’s festivities.

“It’s just great family fun, and [100% of] the proceeds go to the

parish and to the parish school, and it’s their biggest fund-raiser

of the year,” Monahan said.