Published: July 08, 2009 11:38 pm         

St. Ben’s parish prepares for annual festival

Event kicks off Friday night at downtown church

TERRE HAUTE — Parishioners at St. Benedict Catholic Church are busy preparing the site of a weekend festival in downtown Terre Haute.

The St. Ben’s annual festival at Ninth and Ohio streets kicks off Friday night and doesn’t end until late Saturday night.

Parishioner Tom Dinkel expects this year’s attendance will range between 3,000 and 4,000.

“We started it with the belief that we wanted to build up the community of the church and of Terre Haute, and it’s grown since then,” Dinkel said Wednesday.

This marks the festival’s 12th year and organizers are planning something for everyone.

Children’s games and activities will run both nights, while home-cooked food with a “German flair” is prepared and served by parishioners.

“It’s kind of neat because all of the cooking is done by parishioners, not vendors,” Dinkel said, noting that preparation was under way and will continue throughout the weekend.

Festivities also include a beer garden, casino, raffles and about $5,000 in prizes, he said.

Two bands will play each night, starting with Hot Rod Lincoln and Dave and Ray, of Indianapolis, on Friday from 5 to midnight. The same schedule is lined up Saturday, with Mojo Gumbo, a Louisiana-style band with washboards and accordions, will jam it up followed by the Fabulous Imports from Zionsville.

Adults 21 years old and older pay a $2 cover each night, and Dinkel said other prices are reasonable.

All funds go toward maintaining the 145-year-old congregation and historic church, he said, describing the upkeep as “constant.”

“It’s a maintenance thing, being that old,” he said.

Founded by German-speaking immigrants near the end of the Civil War, the church’s original building on Ninth facing Ohio Street had its first cornerstone set in October 1864. Originally managed by Benedictine priests, the congregation came under the care of Franciscans in 1872, according to literature provided by the church.

Work on the newer building began Oct. 4, 1896, with a cruciform structure 130 feet in length, with a nave 60 feet wide and a 120-foot transept.

Fire destroyed much of the building on July 30, 1930, and the parish would spend much of the Great Depression rebuilding, and the next 79 years maintaining.

“There’s some good history behind it,” Dinkel said, pointing to recent masonry and stained-glass restoration.



Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.

     

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