The Sacred Heart fair stand at the Wright County Fairgrounds has been torn down after almost 60 years. Fans of the church’s tasty fair food do not need to fear though! The tear down opens up an opportunity for a new and bigger stand incorporating all three of the Wright County Catholic Churches, which make up Holy Family Cluster.
Members of the three parishes contributed to taking down the old structure a couple of weekends ago. With the help of Larry Sadler and equipment provided by Sadler Construction, volunteers got the job done efficiently. The large trees were removed to make way for new concrete with a bigger footprint once the frost is out. Thanks to the Knights of Columbus funding, the cluster will build a more functional structure.
The Sacred Heart fair stand started in the early 1960’s as a tent where chips and drinks were served. To protect the goods during the night, young men of the parish volunteered to sleep in the tent. Larry Sadler and a couple of the Mersch boys were some of those sleeping under the stars. Church records show that a permanent stand was built in 1964.
The stand began cooking some of their signature foods a couple years later like the chicken noodle dinner, beef burgers, potato salad and homemade pies. Those involved then were Sadlers, Raemakers, Ristaus Umthuns, Feeleys, Russell, Thuls and many others. Today, many of the legacy families are still involved.
As early as a couple of months ago, the three churches started the noodle making process. It was a meaningful time making new friends, working together with members of all three churches. The noodles are ready and in the freezer. Besides their new fair stand structure, they are planning to add what they call ‘soft pies.’ With more room, they will have more refrigeration required for the soft pies. The double crusted pies they have always offered will continue to be sold.
The cluster and folks responsible for the food stand are excited to be working with new members, to be growing and continuing to offer breakfast, lunch and supper at the fair in the same open air atmosphere.
