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Despite a slightly rainy start, St Raphael 25th annual Fall Festival finished with a bang. The church’s yearly festival was shorter than last year, only running from Nov. 14-17.

According to Oscar Gamble, the chairperson and president of the Renaissance Committee of Saint Raphael Church, following a gloomy first day, the weather picked up and so did the crowds.

“This year we had a downturn due to the weather, but we still had a pretty good turnout. We saw a lot of families here this year,” Gamble said.

Gamble credited the event’s success to the help and efforts of the festival volunteers.

“They all did a great job. No one is a paid employee during the festival. We go out there and volunteer so we can give a 100 percent of what we net to Catholic Charities and other charitable efforts we are involved in such as Saint Mathew’s food pantry,” Gamble said.

The fall festival also provides the funds needed to maintain St. Raphael Church, and cover various day-to-day expenses.

According to Festival Coordinator Doug Blais, St. Raphael’s Fall Festival still found its niche even with a competitive fair going on at Jet Blue Park.

“We attracted a lot of local residents and those who were looking for a more family-friendly environment. It was a pretty good turn out this year,” Blais said.

The festival also brought a variety of entertainment, including DJs, bands, and dance acts.

On the first day, DJ Luis kicked off the event, followed by a slew of local and visiting bands.

Saturday afternoon, Footnotes Dance and Music Studio took the stage to preform holiday classics for a standing-room only crowd of on-lookers and family members.

Owner Barbara McKenzie said that the dance and music school was happy to be back this year.

“It was a beautiful day with a wonderful turnout for our very first show of the season. We had dancers ages 2 and up, with some performing for the first time! Our community always gives us such support and we thank you for that. Can’t wait for the next one,” McKenzie said.

The festival finished on Sunday with its popular bake sale and a silent auction.

“Guests were able to bid by putting tickets into a drawing for a chance to win what was in each basket. Overall there were about 30-50 baskets to choose from,” Gamble said.

Gamble also said that this year’s bands were another big draw during the festival.

“The crowds really loved the bands. We had rock, blue grass, Latin and country. Sunday we closed with famous Latin artists’ Jessie and Jesus Villarreal,” Gamble said.

According to Gamble, the church’s next fundraiser, its Christmas tree sale, kicks off the day after Thanksgiving on Black Friday.

“We are happy to have the tree sale again this year. Unfortunately last year we were unable to host the sale due to the closing of our long-time tree vendor. We had used them for more than 20 years. I searched until I found a new vendor way up in Wisconsin who had some really beautiful trees,” Gamble said. “We work really hard to find premium trees that will last. Our volunteers are also in charge of setting up the trees, airing them and watering them daily to keep them fresh.”

Saint Raphael’s Christmas tree sale will run for three weeks. Hours of operation are:

– Black Friday, Nov. 29 from 9 a.m. 9 p.m.

– Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. 9 p.m.

– Monday through Friday from noon 9 p.m.

St Raphael’s Catholic Church is at 2514 Lee Blvd., Lehigh Acres. For a list of events or more information on the festival visit saintraphaelcc.net or call 239-369-1831.