Harvest Festival

Somehow I totally missed this last year, though it seems to be an age-old tradition at my new church. Harvest Festival, also called Harvest Days, is November 7th and 8th (Friday and Saturday) 2008, at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church. Hours are 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.

It is a combination craft fair and bake sale, with ALL of the stuff made by members of the congregation. Lunch is also a big deal, with BBQ and "Apple Slices" made from scratch at the church. (From how they have been described, Apple Slices are like apple pies the size of sheet pans.) Craft items include: jewelry, floral arrangements, woodcrafts, holiday decorations, fabric art, ornaments, greeting cards, quilts, and even a White Elephant table. (I don't think the White Elephant stuff is made by the congregation, more like DISCARDED by the congregation...) Bake sale items include bread, cookies, pies, and cakes.

St. John is located at 1800 S Rodenburg Rd. Schaumburg, IL 60193. They are at the intersection of Irving Park Rd. and Rodenburg Rd. If you exit the Elgin OHare Expressway westbound at Irving Park, turn left at the bottom of the off ramp. The church is on the south side of Irving Park Rd, with the main parking lot across the street. They belong to the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

I finally went to a meeting for the Service Guild at church after someone clued me in that it existed. All women members of the church are default members of the Service Guild, and from what I could tell from one meeting, they appear to keep the church running. This is their major fund-raiser for the year. I declined to volunteer to work at Harvest Days, but I did say I would blog about it. If I'm in a cooking mood on Friday night I may make something for the bake sale. It is nice to feel more incorporated into the church. At St. Peter's I never moved beyond "Choir Alto #4" and I'm not sure why. Maybe because no one asked?