The Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Fair

And other festive annual festivals...

This past weekend, Ricky and I went to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Fair in Anniston. In the spirit of full disclosure, my brother is the pastor there so we had a bit of extra incentive for going. And, it’s hard to say no to great food, raffles, shade trees, and shopping.

It was a beautiful June day too, which didn’t hurt. The kind of day where it’s hot but not humid. The kind of day where you can be comfortable in the shade. The kind of day you want to be outside having fun.

We arrived in the early afternoon, purchased our tickets, and then proceeded to stuff our bellies with some of the best Mexican food we’ve ever had. While we ate some things we were familiar with – y’all know we love a taco – we got to try some things that we were not familiar with at all but loved. 

There were tacos (asada and carnitas), papusas (a Central American cornmeal cake stuffed with meat and cheese), chicharrón preparado (a wheat-flour based chicharrón with fresh toppings), elote (corn on the cob with toppings) and esquitas (corn off the cob with toppings), aguas frescas (water blended with fruits and sugar), various other grilled and stewed meats, rice and beans, and desserts like flan. 

All the yummy goodness!

On the way home, I got to thinking about how churches are the center of culture and community, preserving rich traditions for generations and generations. Over the years, we have gone to many festivals just like the one at Sacred Heart and gotten a taste (pun intended) of how others live, eat, celebrate, commune, and worship. I feel like these experiences have broadened my horizons, educated me in ways I never anticipated, and piqued my curiosity and interest in learning more.

That’s why for this post, I wanted to highlight a few of those festivals. Mark your calendars and loosen your belts!

• St. Elias Lebanese Food and Cultural Festival – usually in April

• Episcopal Place’s Gumbo Gala – usually in April

• The Jewish Food & Culture Festival – usually in May

• St. George Middle Eastern Food Festival – usually in September

• Holy Trinity – Holy Cross Greek Food Festival – usually in October

• St. Symeon Food and Culture Fair – usually in October

• St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church Bake Sale – usually in November, in Brookside

And there are tons of festivals all year round that aren’t associated with churches such as:

• The Exceptional Foundation Chili Cook-off (March)

• The Holi Festival (March) 

• Bob Sykes BBQ & Blues Festival (April)

• Juneteenth (this coming weekend – June 15)

• Fiesta BHAM (September)

These festivals also play a huge role in the financial health of our institutions, so if the prices seem expensive to you, look at it as a charitable donation, buy that extra dessert or tchotchke, and chalk it up to the price of a good time for a good cause. 

And this list is just a sampling of the festivals we know about. I’m sure there are many, many more. If there’s a cultural festival you love, let us know so we can check it out!

p.s. We’ll be actual tourists for the next ten days, so there will be a brief break in posts. But do not despair, we’ll be back soon!

p.p.s. In the meantime, check out our art and zines at Popskull Studios!