POTTSVILLE, Pa. — Shanna Deibert says going to mass every Sunday at St. John the Baptist Church is one of her favorite things to do with her family.
And planning church events is also a family affair.
“My daughter was over here, we were making signs. My son was over lugging meat in, and the same goes for our entire committee,” added Deibert, Midsummer Festival Committee member.
Shanna and her parish family are getting ready for the comeback of the Midsummer Festival.
After a three-year hiatus, Deibert is determined to make it bigger and better than before.
“I grew up in this parish, and this was the staple of my summer. So that's what kind of gravitates me towards it. I would hate to see it not happen because, for a lot of other church festivals, that happens,” she said.
“A lot of our people are getting older, and they're unable to do it. So it's great to show and mentor our younger individuals to help them follow in our footsteps,” Michelle Ambrose, Midsummer Festival Committee member, mentioned.
Michelle Ambrose has been a member of St. John the Baptist Church for more than 30 years and is excited to help debut the new version of her church's oldest event.
“It's something we've done for more years than I've been around. It's a tradition we do, and as you see, the Pugh Bean Soup has been around since 1967,” Ambrose said.
One thing that's sure to return is the famous Pugh Bean Soup.
It's more than a family recipe passed down through five generations but is the main character in the festival's fundraiser component.
“Well, for the church, actually, It's been tough because we went three years without a major fundraiser,” Deibert mentioned.
“People have waited in line for it to come out. It's insane, we sell out every year by seven o'clock,” added Adam Maley, Midsummer Festival Committee member.
With this parking lot filled with vendors and entertainment, the parish's goal is to welcome everyone into their church family.
“I come back here, watching my children play around and everything like that. It's like a nostalgic feeling, it takes you back to easier times and your childhood. That's the best way to describe it,” Maley explained.
Hoping the midsummer festival gives the young generation of parishioners the same core memory, the Deibert family has.
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