St. Rita Parish, 1008 Maple Dr., Webster, will hold its 50th annual fiesta on Friday, June 4, and Saturday, June 5.
The fiesta, which is staffed by 300 volunteers, continues a tradition begun in 1954, when it was first held to fund St. Rita’s School. This year marks the return of a fiesta tradition, a parade, which was a mainstay of the fiesta in its early years.
Tom Cali, who chairs the fiesta committee with Ed Ritzel, said the event is designed to be family-friendly. The fiesta will open with a fish fry on June 4, from 5-7 p.m. Dinner will be followed by children’s games and games of chance for adults. The locally-based band Nik and the Nice Guys, which has played at 15 Super Bowls, will play both mainstream rock ‘n’ roll as well as disco music starting at 7 p.m.
On June 5, a parade will begin at 2 p.m. near Abbot’s Frozen Custard on Gravel Road near Empire Boulevard. The parade will wind its way down Old Ridge Road to the parish itself, where the fiesta will feature games, clowns, magicians, crafts and pony rides. A chicken barbecue will begin at 4 p.m., and local band, The Skycoasters, will perform at 6:30 p.m. Like the Nice Guys, The Skycoasters have played Super Bowls and have also played the Olympics and in the Caribbean. The popular group will feature rock, disco and pop music.
The fiesta will also offer the Vision Automotive Group’s Hole-In-One Putting Contest, with a car as a prize, as well as the raffle of a Sony 42-inch plasma TV. Proceeds from the fiesta will benefit the parish’s many ministries, as well as the Diocese of Rochester’s migrant ministry and St. Rita’s sister parish in Tanzania, Cali said.
Cali said he has worked on the festival for three years, and sees it as his way of aiding the parish in its mission.
“I believe strongly in my faith, and I really believe in stewardship,” Cali said. “God gives us all these gifts, and this is my little way of repaying him.”
There’s free admission and free parking at all events. For information, call 585/671-1100.
