Come one, come all! See your friends, and have a ball!
Grab some food, ride a ride! There’s a funhouse, too. Step inside!
It’s Nativity Fest, where you can’t go wrong. So hurry in, it’s only four days long!
2015 marks the 50th anniversary for the Nativity Festival, a Portage favorite put on by Nativity of Our Savior Parish every year. What started as a small event has, over the years, become one of the city’s most anticipated summer stops.
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“This is the biggest fundraiser that the parish puts on,” Jennifer Wszolek Chandler, music and computer teacher at Nativity of Our Savior School said. “We have rides, games, a live band, a book sale… There’s really something for everyone here.”
She wasn’t exaggerating in the least. Families came with wee ones who gawked and giggled as they rode round and round on the rides that were “just their size”, and teenagers came to hang out and test larger, more intimidating carnival rides. They flipped and flew through the air, squealing with delight as physics kicked in.
Those who preferred to enjoy the fest from the ground watched musical performances by Just Us Kids and The Relics as they rocked out on stage. Great food was available and was touted to be “the Best Food this side of heaven”. There were lines to get the different edible offerings so they must be doing something right. Bingo, a beer garden, raffles, a photo booth, and more were at the ready for the various amusements and tastes of the people.
“This is a great way to help to raise funds for the church. We have some things that need to be upgraded and we want to do more things for the school,” Eva Curry, Administrative Assistant for Nativity of Our Savior Parish.
And not only did the festival serve as a fundraiser, it also makes a great reunion and mini vacation.
“Lots of people come back to Portage just for this festival. They use it to reunite with old friends,” Father Andrew Corona said. “And we keep our prices low so everyone can come and do lots of things. Not everyone can take vacations either so they treat this like a mini vacation, or ‘staycation’.”
No matter what the reason was to stop in, everyone who attended the Nativity Festival had a great time. The fest runs July 9-12 so in case you didn’t get to go on opening night there is still time to come!
