2020 St. Ann Fall Fest Blog

This week's guest blogger is Stephanie Wilson Nichols. Stephanie is one of the St. Ann Fall Fest co-chairs. She is a freelance journalist, public relations/marketing consultant and event planner. She is the mother of two St. Ann alumni, Conner Nichols, 2013, and Seth Nichols, 2015 and an incoming seventh grader, Ethan Nichols.

We’ve all heard the proverbial phrase that begins, “When life gives you lemons.” Well, I think it’s safe to say that we have all been given our fair share of lemons over the last several months with this global pandemic. And, the annual St. Ann Fall Fest is certainly not immune.

The Fall Fest Team

So, let’s go back to March when all things as we knew it went awry. The Fall Fest team (Jamie Coggins, Kathy Schiavone and I) had a discussion. “Surely, this won’t affect the Fall Fest,” we said. “It’s seven months away,” we said. Then April rolled around. We stood our stance. We kept planning. Then, it was May. We channeled a song from our scheduled Live on the Field concert headliner Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” And we kept working. When June arrived, lemons kept falling from the tree. Sponsors weren’t comfortable committing. Many of them were just reopening for business. Ticket sales had slowed as people feared not only the Covid-19 virus, but also whether or not the event would even take place. But we persisted. By July 1^st, Shelby County was talking of going back to Phase I. The forecast was calling for a 100 percent chance of gloom and doom as the number of cases continued to rise. So, the three of us gathered. We put on our masks and put together our best Covid-19 Preparedness Plan and submitted it to the Shelby County Health Department.

The verdict came quickly. In a word, No. Well, that isn’t entirely true. It was a yes, if we could limit the entire festival to no more than 499 people and track the identity of every person that attended in case anyone tested positive within 14 days of the festival. Oh, and a whole host of other caveats. So, we are back to the “No.”

So, what did we do? We did what the second part of that proverbial phrase says. We took all those lemons and made a big pitcher of lemonade. Or at least, that’s what we’ve tried to do. Whether or not it will truly be lemonade will depend on all of you. Your support. Your participation. We will do everything we are physically able to ensure its success, but we need cheerleaders, post sharers and we need everyone to get involved. Not for us. For the school and the church. For you. This is the only fundraiser we have, and neither entity can afford the hit.

So, what’s the new plan? We are calling it St. Ann Fall Fest “Masked Edition.” This modified version of the original festival includes six events. They are: $10,000 Cash Raffle; Curbside To-Go Virtual Italian Dinner and Online Auction; Virtual 5K; Golf Tournament; and Bowling Tournament.

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$10,000 Cash Raffle

The $10,000 Cash Raffle will be run just as the past car raffles have with tickets available for sale online at www.stannfallfest.org/home/schedule/raffle/ for five dollars each. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the Parish Office, 6529 Stage Road, Bartlett, Tenn., 38134. St. Ann parishioners and St. Ann School families will also be given tickets to either purchase or sell. As in years past, the school families will compete for cash and prizes. This year, we are adding P.R.E. families to the mix, asking each family to sell or purchase tickets. The drawing will be held Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020 after the 11:30 a.m. Mass – around 12:30 p.m., at the St. Ann Courtyard. Ticket holders do not have to be present to win.

Curbside To-Go Virtual Italian Dinner & Online Auction

Since we may not gather on campus inside the school gymnasium as we have the past two years, we are taking the dinner to the street! Well, sort of. We will be offering a choice of three adult and three children’s meals available for curbside pick-up at Coletta’s Italian Restaurant, 2850 Appling Road, on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020 from 5:30-7 p.m. All dinners must be pre-ordered and pre-paid either online at www.stannfallfest.org/home/schedulue/virtual-italian-dinner/ or at the St. Ann Parish Office. Adult dinners are $20 and children’s dinners are $10. The event will be broadcast live on the St. Ann Fall Fest Facebook page beginning at 6:15 p.m. whereby Rev. Ernie DeBlasio will give the official blessing. The Online Auction items up for bid will be previewed and will be available for online bidding beginning at 5:30 p.m. The auction will close on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020 at 5 p.m. NBC’s The Voice’s Mandi Thomas will be on hand to perform classic Italian and Opera favorites at Coletta’s!

Golf Tournament

The Golf Tournament will be held as previously scheduled on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020 at Quail Ridge Golf Course, 4055 Altruria Road, Bartlett, at 8 a.m. A four-person scramble, the tournament will be held according to the current (10/16/20) Shelby County Health Department Guidelines. Registration is $80 per person and may be done online at www.stannfallfest.org/home/schedule/golf-tournament. Golfers will receive breakfast and a to-go box lunch, along with Tiki Bar snacks and beverages. Contests will be held for Hole-In-One, and other skills, with grand prizes. Teams finishing first through third place will be awarded prizes. Sponsors needed. See sponsorship packages online.

Virtual 5K

A Virtual 5K will be held throughout the day on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. Where? Wherever you are! Another state? Country? No problem! Sponsored by Lance Jolly, field agent, Knights of Columbus Insurance, this virtual event allows registrants to run/walk wherever they wish at any time throughout the day. Not a walker or runner? No problem. Sign up to be a Spirit Runner and join us “In Spirit!” All registrants who sign up by Oct. 7, 2020 will receive a Virtual 5K “Masked Edition” T-Shirt. Participants are invited to send pictures from their event (email and text number included in race packet) to be published on Fall Fest social media. If participating competitively, please take a picture of your completed time of 3.1 miles and send to the email address provided. Registration is $25 and may be completed at www.stannfallfest.org/home/schedule/virtual-5k-race/.

Bowling Tournament

The last of the events, the Bowling Tournament will be held a week later on Oct. 24, 2020 at Billy Hardwick’s All Star Lanes, 1576 S. White Station Road, Memphis, 38117. The tournament will mirror last year’s event with both scratch and handicap divisions with prizes for first place winning teams of each. Teams are comprised of four bowlers and registration is $35 per person and may be done online at www.stannfallfest.org/home/schedule/bowling-tournament/. Door prizes, auction items and entertainment. Sponsors needed. See sponsorship packages online.

So, there you have it! The newly modified plan to ensure funds are raised for both St. Ann Catholic Church and School amidst a global pandemic. It isn’t what we had hoped for, or planned for since October of last year. While we will miss the live music, carnival rides, food trucks, vendors, artists at work, chili cooking, camaraderie and drawing for a car, we will have it all again. In 2021. In fact, we’ve already set the dates. But for this year – we adjust. We make the best of the hand we’ve been dealt.

But now what? Get involved! Sign up! And while you’re at it, let’s all raise a glass of that lemonade and toast to the future success of the St. Ann Fall Fest “Masked Edition!”

Sincerely,

Stephanie Nichols

Finding It Hard to Concentrate

Has anyone else had a hard time concentrating since March 16th? I find it hard to concentrate on anything for more than maybe five to ten minutes. If I stay focused for a full ten minutes, I'm doing a great job. It is the craziest feeling. Actually, it is an uncomfortable feeling. Thank God I've had a series of guest bloggers or there would not have been a blog from me since March 29th. For me, since the middle of March, completing a task has been monumental. Writing this one paragraph has taken me about thirty minutes.

In the thirty minutes since starting this blog, I have stopped writing (blogging) to watch a little bit of Newcastle vs West Ham. I have it on but muted. The noise from the TV doesn't bother me. Listening to announcers state the obvious is annoying. I usually watch sporting events on mute. I have also made a bowl of fruit salad for breakfast. And, I counted the number of books I have on my nightstand I have started reading but have given up on. Someday, I'll finish those books. Just don't know when.

It is the strangest thing, I have started reading those six books but cannot concentrate long enough to even comprehend what I'm reading. Many times, I have to read the same paragraph two or three times just for comprehension purposes. It is frustrating. I love to read. Since March 16th, reading hasn't been much fun.

I do not know why this is happening. Just during this past Christmas break, I read five books. There was no problem with concentrating. And, there was no problem taking a break from work for mental and physical health purposes. We need those breaks. Right now, it is as if our brains aren't turning off. There is no mental health break. Maybe we can turn off our brains for a day trip to the lake. But, that's just one day. A weekend away from work hasn't happened since the middle of March.

I have to think through the situation to try to figure out the sudden changes. Don't think I'm suffering from Alzheimer's or some form of depression. Why has someone who loves to read and is constantly reading all of a sudden lost that desire to read? Why has someone who really enjoys going to work everyday had such a hard time concentrating? Why has someone who looks forward to the next challenge all of a sudden, having difficulty finishing a project before moving on to the next? This can be a little disconcerting. Actually, it is very disconcerting.

The way I see it, we have gone from a normal mode to a firefighter mode. Since March 16th, we have been putting out fires not on a daily basis but on an hourly basis. So many fires have been popping up that we cannot even finish putting out one fire when we have to start fighting another. The more fires you have to fight, the less of you there is to fight those fires. Don't feel as if I'm giving less of myself to fighting the fires. There are just too many fires to fight at one time.

One week the CDC and the health department tell us this is what needs to happen. The next week, the directives change. The next day, the politicians make everything a political battle and forget it is about the people and not political affiliation. In turn, we have no idea what needs to be done. Thank God the Catholic Schools have the task force to help guide us.

The way most of us work, we have short-term and long-term goals. Those long-term goals are usually part of a five-year plan. For now, the five-year plans have pretty much been set ablaze by the short-term goals. The longest short-term goal we are working on is getting ready for August 11th. That's the day we are scheduled to begin the 2020-21 school year.

We are working on a day-to-day basis. Work is tough. The situations we are facing are tough. Families are struggling. Children need to have a normal and healthy routine. Right now, a healthy routine is different for everybody. Some parents are scared to death about schools starting up. Some parents cannot wait for schools to get started. We all have tough decisions to make with super-mixed information coming our way. We hear this. We read that. This person advises this. That person advises that. Everyone's an expert yet no one knows anything.

The way I look at it, times have been tougher. Situations have been more severe. I'm going to keep putting out fires the best I can. I'm going to make the best decisions I can to educate my students while doing my best to keep them and the St. Ann staff as safe as possible. My job is to provide students and families with a Catholic Education. Along with a team of experts (Diocesan Transition Task Force), fellow Catholic School administrators, incredible staff members at St. Ann, and lots of prayer, we are working on the short-term goal of the first day of school. We are getting closer to seeing what that will look like. Yet, on the constant changing stream of information, the picture is still very blurry. It will become clear. We just have to remain patient and continue working hard to achieve the best possible outcome for everyone involved.

For now, I'm not going to worry too much about my inability to concentrate on reading a paragraph from a book I'm wanting to read. But, I will be more compassionate when one of my students has a hard time concentrating on a paragraph they are supposed to read. If anything, I have learned something through all of this.

God bless you,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School