By Brian Arola, Hibbing Daily Tribune

HIBBING — With each passing year, the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church’s Fall Festival has added activities to draw the whole family to an early autumn celebration.

Entering its third year, this Saturday’s festival will be no different, with events for all ages, including a farmers market, bingo, raffles and children’s activities.

Festival Chair Brad Steinbrecher said he hopes the event, which replaced the church’s annual bazaar, continues its progress in connecting parishioners to each other and the rest of the community.

“It’s about introducing people from the community to who we are as Catholics,” he said. “A lot of times people don’t understand what goes on in those big churches, and we want to be a more personal entity in the community.”

One of the best ways to build those connections is through offering family activities, he said.

Each year has brought additions to the get-together — from games and activities to keep the kids happy, to hunting gear raffles to bring in dads.

Among the primary goals this year is to get more input from men or fathers, Steinbrecher said, although he admitted that it’ll likely depend on the weather.

Last year, when the weather was nice, it was noticeable yet understandable how few men showed up because they were mostly out hunting, he said.

While not necessarily hoping for stormy weather — although forecasts are looking gloomy — Steinbrecher said the gun raffles should bring the males into the mix.

“That’s one of the challenges for dads who are into hunting at this time,” he said. “Getting their input and participation is something we’re looking for as well.”

Organizers were ecstatic with the turnout in previous year’s events — around 750 the first year alone.

With expanded activities targeted at all age ranges, the expectation is a bigger and better event than in previous years.