Friday, March 29th, 2024 Church Directory
LENA (AKA LIZ SMITH) greets guests waiting in line for the Lutefisk & Swedish Meatball Dinner. (Photo by Penny Leuthard.)
MARY BERGERON helps customers with their fresh produce purchases during Rejoice’s Fall Festival last Saturday.(Photo by Penny Leuthard.)
FIVE-YEAR-OLD JULIA BROWN is excited about the prize she won at the children’s carnival section of the Fall Festival. (Photo by Penny Leuthard.)
PEOPLE CROWD INTO ONE OF THE MANY ROOMS that were filled with items for sale in Granny’s Attic. (Photo by Penny Leuthard.)

Rejoice Fall Festival returns

When Rejoice Lutheran Church in Clearwater welcomed back its original Lutefisk & Swedish Meatball Dinner & Fall Festival last Saturday the community was ready for it, coming out to purchase new and used items, bid on silent auction items, play games, and enjoy a traditional Scandinavian meal.

Due to the pandemic last year, members of the church simplified their annual event to just the Granny’s Attic portion of the festival in order to help with the financial blow that came with having to cancel the event. The festival is Rejoice’s largest fundraiser of the year.

There was a lot for guests to do, from searching for treasures in the many rooms filled with Granny’s Attic items and purchasing produce, crafts, and goodies from the bake sale, to bidding on the many silent auction items lined up in the nave. 

There was also fun for the youth, who could play carnival style games and bounce in a giant bounce house and purchase fun items from Granny’s Attic kids’ room. 

The highlight of the day was, as always, the Lutefisk & Swedish Meatball Dinner. Guests filled the tables during both afternoon serving times, filling up their plates with traditional Scandinavian foods and enjoying conversations with their neighbors.

Rejoice extended thanks to the community, their volunteers, and everyone who brought in donations for helping to make the event such a success. All money raised will go to the church’s general fund.

The fall festival was begun as a traditional way of honoring the area’s Scandinavian heritage. Along with the meal, activities were added to reach out to others and make the day one that can be enjoyed by all.