Ss. Robert & William International Family Festival

Euclid, OH -- Ss. Robert and William parishioners are rolling 4,000 pierogis, scheduling bands, building games, and gathering prizes for the fourth annual International Family Festival, August 14-17 at Ss. Robert and William Catholic Church on E. 260 Street.

“We are preparing a banquet for our festival guests -- homemade pierogi, steamed clams, Italian sausage, unique ethnic foods, grilled favorites, homemade bakery and all the favorites people look forward to at summer festivals,” said Father John Betters, pastor at Ss. Robert and William Catholic Church.

On the menu: A wide variety of festival and ethnic favorites are being prepared, including handmade pierogi made by a team of SRW parishioners. Also, hot from the grill: sizzling BBQ ribs, BBQ and baked chicken, Raddell’s Sausage, brats, walking tacos, hamburgers and hot dogs. Additional homemade ethnic favorites like cabbage and noodles, as well as Italian favorites such as cavatelli, sausage sandwiches, chicken parmesan and meatball sandwiches. Loaded gyro (regular or chicken) and fresh onion rings from Freshly’s of Willoughby and steamed clams, homemade lemon shake-ups, domestic beer, Cleveland’s own Great Lakes Beer products and cold pop.

Plenty of sweets will be served too: cotton candy, root beer floats, ice cream, fruit cups, and freshly popped kettle corn made by Savannah’s Sweet and Salty Kettle Corn. Homemade bakery and novelties will be available in the new air-conditioned Oktoberfest area.

Games, Rides and Fun: Children will flock to the games, amusement rides, pony rides, a rock climbing wall, laser tag and prizes. The Children’s Area will feature a prize wheel, crafts, face painting and games such as Knock-down-the-Cat, Birthday Wheel, Dime Toss, Giant Plinko, Putt-Putt and Pasta Smash. Parents of toddlers, weary and wiped out from the festival fun, will appreciate the Little Tykes Play Area, complete with adult seating.

Kiddie Korner tickets will be sold at .50 each and can be used for games, activities and crafts. Games will start at .50 each, while some crafts and activities may cost more. Crafts and kids games will end at 10 p.m. on Thursday and at 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Adults can play a variety of casino games, including money wheels, “Over & Under” dice tables, “Big 6 Wheel” and Instants all while enjoying the background beat of non-stop live entertainment near the outdoor stage.

Euclid Beach Rocket Ship Car rides will be back on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and pony rides will be available Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The award-winning St. Ignatius Circus Company will juggle, perform magic tricks and interact with the crowd. Face painting will be available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Live Entertainment on the Outdoor Stage: The Polka Pirates will play polka favorites and popular hits on Thursday evening. New Barley Corn will rev up the crowd Friday evening playing Irish favorites. Midlife Crisis will cap off Friday night with classic rock. Festivus will rock out Saturday night with more classic rock favorites. The Joey Tomsick Orchestra will play at the 11 a.m. mass and then again early Sunday afternoon. Phil ‘n the Blanks will close out the festival, playing late Sunday afternoon.

A new air-conditioned Oktoberfest area will allow guests to take a break from the heat, while also enjoying games, game wheels, Eastern European cuisine, beverages, and entertainment. Bill Hach will sing crowd-pleasing favorites on Friday from 5-7 p.m. Patty C and the Guys will play polka and waltzes on Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. Also in the new Oktoberfest area, a raffle featuring both international and national themed baskets valued at $50 or higher, such as: “The Moscow Mule,” “Vegas,” “New England,” and “Oglebay.” A Vienna Café will feature strudel, light, luscious lemon cake, ice cream novelties, an assortment of pastry, and coffee.

On Student Appreciation Night, Thursday, August 14, Ss. Robert and William students get a free kids meal, including a hot dog or hamburger, chips, juice box and cookie, all served on a colorful SRW Frisbee (while supplies last). Kids meals will be available for purchase for students not enrolled at Ss. Robert and William. Plenty of games and activities too! Thursday evening will begin with an outdoor mass at 6 p.m.

Teen Vegas Night, Friday, August 15 from 9 to 11 p.m. New this year! Geared for high school students age 14 through 18, teens can play Vegas style games -- blackjack, poker, roulette table and a horse race game -- with fake money to earn mystery prizes. Music, light snacks and beverages are included in the $10 ticket price, which can only be purchased at the doors of the Upper Hall at Ss. Robert and William Catholic School, 367 E. 260th St., Euclid. Heartier snacks will be available for purchase. Students must have a ticket to enter the Upper Hall. This event will be chaperoned.

An 11 a.m. Polka Mass, featuring the Joey Tomsick Orchestra with Father John Betters presiding, will have attendees reverently foot-tapping and two-stepping through mass while celebrating the cultural heritage at Ss. Robert and William.

Car Cruise In: Old fashioned and muscle cars will roll in on Sunday afternoon for the Car Cruise In and Euclid firefighters and police officers will open the doors to their Safety Force vehicles so kids can climb aboard and get a first-hand look.

Prizes: One lucky winner will take home the $10,000 grand prize raffle drawing, which will be drawn Sunday evening as the festival comes to a close. The Chinese Raffle Auction, with loaded baskets of gift certificates and prizes, will take place at 7 p.m. while the Main $10,000 Raffle and the “Get Connected” Raffle, featuring technology prizes, will take place at 7:45 p.m. There is a second place prize for $2,500 and third place is $500. Raffle tickets are $5 each or 5 tickets for $20 and can be purchased at the festival or Parish Office.

Main Sponsors: Western Reserve Interiors and Raddell’s Sausage Shop are the Main Sponsors of the 2014 Festival. For additional information, visit www.srweuclid.cc, call 216-731-1515 or follow the festival on Facebook under “Ss. Robert & William Festival.”

2014 Schedule for SRW International Family Festival
Thursday, Aug. 14 -- Ss. Robert & William School Appreciation Night
5 pm Festival opens!
6 pm Outdoor Mass
7:30-9 pm Live band: Polka Pirates
5-9 pm Rocket Ship
5-9 pm Pony Rides
7-10 pm Outside Casino

Friday, Aug. 15
5 pm Festival opens
7-10 pm Live band: New Barley Corn
10:15-11:30 Live band: Midlife Crisis
5-7 pm Live entertainment: Bill Hach (Oktoberfest Area)
5-10 pm Rocket Ship
5-10 pm Face Painting
5-11pm Laser Tag
6-Midnight Outside Casino
9-11 pm Teen Vegas (Upper Hall of SRW School, $10 at door)

Saturday, Aug. 16
5 pm Festival opens
5-7 pm Live band: Patty C and the Guys (Oktoberfest Area)
7-11 pm Live band: Festivus
5-10 pm Rocket Ship
5-10 pm Pony Rides
5-10 pm Face Painting
5-11 pm Laser Tag
6-Midnight Outside Casino

Sunday, Aug. 17
11 am Polka Mass with The Joey Tomsick Orchestra
12 pm Festival opens
12:30-3 pm Live band: The Joey Tomsick Orchestra
5-8 pm Live band: Phil ‘n the Blanks
12-5 pm Face Painting
12-4 pm Car Cruise In!
12-7 pm Laser Tag
1-3 pm Euclid Safety Forces
1-6 pm Pony Rides
12-8 pm Outside Casino
3 pm Bake Off (held in air-conditioned Oktoberfest area)
7:30-8 pm Raffle Winners Announced
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