By Wade Coggeshall
INDIANAPOLIS — It’s considered the city’s longest-running annual celebration. And with its menu, it’s also one of the most famous.
St. Christopher Catholic Church, 5301 W. 16th St., has its Mid-Summer Festival Thursday through Saturday. This is the 72nd consecutive year for the celebration.
“This event is three nights, but it’s the biggest undertaking the church does,” said Tom Edwards, the festival’s coordinator.
It also used to be the second largest event in Speedway, behind the Indianapolis 500. Edwards now says it’s the fourth largest since the track expanded its schedule.
The Mid-Summer Festival started as a fried chicken dinner in 1937. Over time it turned into a pitch-in meal. Parishioners began bringing their own recipes. That led to the relatively fixed menu of today featuring hand-battered fish sandwiches, handmade pork barbecue, and macaroni and cheese.
Years ago a newspaper reporter coined the phrase that gave the festival its reputation. He wrote it’s “the festival that’s tops in food.” For many people, that’s still the case today.
“People come from out of town and out of state to get bag of fish sandwiches from the festival,” said Edwards. “We’ve had people call the office to confirm the dates, because they’ll either be passing through on their summer vacation or their annual trip to Indiana to visit relatives. We’ve actually become pretty famous for our fish.”
It takes a lot of work to uphold such distinction. Edwards says there are three general chairmen who plan the Mid-Summer Festival. One person oversees all the food and beverages, with help from a subcommittee of about 15. Then about a thousand volunteers spend three nights preparing some two tons of fish.
“We usually take about a six-month break to breathe,” Edwards said. “Then in January or February we meet and start talking. The church relies completely on its parishioners and volunteers (to make this happen).”
The current chairmen did make some major changes when they took over about seven years ago. Mainly they added Vegas-style gaming in addition to the carnival rides, bingo, and food. A Filipino family who attends St. Christopher added their cuisine to the menu too.
“We think we have a layout that works and just the right number of activities,” Edwards said.
Live entertainment is a new feature this year. SugarBush, comprised of church members, performs at 7 p.m. Thursday, and PolkaBoy will perform at 7 p.m. Friday. At 7 p.m. Saturday, it’s the pop rock of Irish band Second Fiddle.
The Mid-Summer Festival begins 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday. Food also is available as carry-out. For more information, visit the website at www.indyfestival.com.
wade.coggeshall@flyergroup.com
