Catholic church hosts fall festival

Ozona—Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church (OLPH) will host its Fall Festival this weekend in honor of All Saints’ Day, Saturday, Nov. 1, and All Souls’ Day, Sunday, Nov. 2. A full slate of activities is planned for both days. 

Festival queen candidates have been selling raffle tickets and organizing fundraisers for months. This year’s candidates are Genesis Castro, Canna Cravens, Adilyn Esparza, McKendree Galindo, Yeimy Hernandez, Mireya Anahi Resendez and Adela Torres. The candidates, ages 5 to 14, volunteer their time to raise money for the parish beginning in the spring. The top fundraiser will be crowned festival queen on Saturday by last year’s winner; on Sunday, the new queen will present flowers to the Virgin Mary at Mass. 

Saturday’s events begin at 10 a.m. with a blessing of the graves at the cemetery, followed by a noon prayer service and a parade. A tardeada, an afternoon social, will follow behind the church hall with food, games and family activities. Live music by DJ TKO and Grupo Entrego runs from 6 to 10 p.m. 

OLPH has staged fall festivals on and off for about 40 years. The church revived the tradition last year and hopes to build on that momentum. Organizer Alma Martinez said attendance is projected at 300 to 400 based on last year’s turnout. 

“Last year went very well, and we're hoping to be able to double what we made last year,” Martinez said. “It was a great turnout considering that we hadn't had it in a few years. We're very excited about this year's event.”  

Raffle tickets are still available from any queen candidate. Prizes include cash, grills and smokers. For more information, contact the church office at 325-392-3353.