St. Alexis in McCandless holds 30th-anniversary festival

Nothing says midsummer in Pittsburgh like hazy, humid days followed by church festivals in the evening.

On just about any July or August night if the wind is right, you can smell fresh burgers grilling and hear children screaming as they ride the rides, as what occurred July 12-15 at St. Alexis Church in McCandless, part of St. Aiden Parish.

St. Alexis is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the annual church festival.

“I think it’s a great community builder and a great way to show people the love of Jesus,” said the Rev. Dan Waruszewski, St. Aiden parochial vicar.

Father Dan said the volunteers are really the ones who make the festival run smoothly, and nobody knows more about the hard work required than the three co-chairs of the event. Joe Wall, Audrey Mackie and Kristen Chick each share one-third of the responsibility for coordinating the festival, and they are proud of their accomplishment this year.

“This is my first year handling the festival,” said Chick. “But to be honest, the festival is one of the main reasons that we decided to join this parish. I had a festival at my church growing up, and I wanted my two daughters to have those great memories, as well.”

Mackie has similar memories, and when she wasn’t tending to the many requests from volunteers on her hand-held radio during opening night, she was walking around the festival making sure that everything was running smoothly.

“I think it’s the sense of community and tradition. I see people my age who used to come when they were young bringing their kids now. That’s what it’s all about,” said Mackie.

As far as Wall is concerned, he loves to see teenagers and young adults all the way up to senior citizens coming to have a good time.

“It certainly builds community, and it’s not just about our faith, but it helps to give people an idea of what we do here,” said Wall.

For the anniversary event, there was one major addition to the over-21 “beer garden.”

“We have wine this year,” said Chick.

Although the church can’t legally sell alcohol because of state laws, many generous vendors such as Penn Brewery provided free beverages for the festival.

Many other vendors, such as Mancini’s Bread and Pizza Roma, provide food.

The annual festival is one of the church’s top fundraisers for the year.

“All of the proceeds get split between our Faith Formation program,” Mackie said, referring to what formerly were called CCD classes, and Blessed Seelos Academy, the Catholic school at the church.

The St. Alexis event is one of the more popular church festivals in the area due to the many rides that are available. The church has one section of games that are operated primarily by volunteers, and another section is operated by C&L Shows of Mt. Pleasant.

“We have used C&L for at least five years or more,” Mackie said. “They can bring some other rides and carnival games that really make it like a fair.”

If carnival games and rides aren’t for you, perhaps the annual flea market is a reason to stop by. Many household items and sporting goods are priced to sell inside the church cafeteria. Alongside the flea market, live-called bingo is available.

A giant Ferris wheel sits in the upper parking lot of the church, opposite a three-lane sliding board, each with lines of people that rival even the best amusement parks.

One nostalgic aspect of the festival is the parking situation. The main church parking lots are filled with festival booths, so parking is limited on site. Guests are welcome to park at North Allegheny High School, where they can catch a shuttle ride on a yellow school bus.

Some would argue that the real fun starts on the ride to the festival.