Community spirit at Autumnfest is priceless

How blessed we are to have Autumnfest. I write this letter with heartfelt thanks to the Rotary Club, Steering Committee and all city officials who fought to make this festival happen.

This festival is the financial lifeline for so many vendors, we being one of them. For 30 years, the St. Agatha and Precious Blood Youth Ministry and CYO has participated in the food court, and the profits have provided funding for all that we offer to families and young people.

So often the good that the nonprofits do in the community gets overlooked. I believe this has happened to us this year. After a tiring weekend working the dynamite booth, a woman came up to me and said that business should pick up because the Cercle Laurier club, which has chosen the last few years to sell items at their East School Street location, has just sold out of dynamites. Knowing our profits were down, I still tried to take the high road and I responded by questioning the volume of business they had. Her response was that they were selling the dynamites for less.

I take this moment to publicly say that legal or not, I find this decision by the Cercle Laurier, mind you another nonprofit that does good things in the community, very disheartening. The Rotary Club strives to offer each vendor a specific item to sell and we pay a substantial fee to sell these items. It is so sad that Cercle Laurier has chosen again this year to sell outside of the park instead of uniting with the rest of the community. I am sure it is a lucrative decision and they are making money, but at what expense? Profits are great but you cannot put a price on community spirit and camaraderie. Part of the rewards in being a vendor is the connection made throughout the weekend with the other vendors. We are a family of sort and this is our holiday gathering. I welcome Cercle Laurier to join us in the food court next year selling an item that does not undercut the rest of us. They used to take part and it would be a happy reunion if they chose to do it again. Believe it or not, the money on park grounds is still great, but the community atmosphere is priceless.

Christine Riel

Youth coordinator

St. Agatha and Precious Blood