St. Isidore extends annual Trifesta to three days

As their festival grows more popular each year, organizers of St. Isidore Catholic Church's Trifesta in Bloomingdale have decided to extend the fun over three days.

The charity event, which includes a golf outing, 5K race and traditional festival, will happen at several locations throughout Bloomingdale from Friday, Aug. 21, through Sunday, Aug. 23.

"When we started this many years ago it was just a church picnic, but it has grown over the years because there has been so much of a demand," said Michael Hatt, spokesman for St. Isidore. "It has expanded to include the community around Bloomingdale and it gets better every year."

To launch the festival on Friday morning, Hilton Indian Lakes Resort will host a Mad Hatter golf outing. Golfers will wear their wildest hats and compete for prizes like longest drive, longest putt and beat the pro. The event also will include dinner, raffle prizes and a silent auction.

The second day of Trifesta will begin bright and early, with the 5K Race to Grace at 7:30 a.m. Open to walkers and runners, the race will circle the Stratford Square mall's drive twice and will be followed by an awards ceremony as well as a health and fitness fair, raffle, and a children's walk/run.

The biggest Trifesta event falls on Sunday at St. Isidore. The church will host an afternoon Mass at 1 p.m., followed by a full-blown festival with traditional and ethnic foods, bingo, dance performances by Couples for Christ and Hispanic Folkloric Dance, and musical entertainment by Grand Avenue Big Band, Mariachi San Miguel, Whiskey and a Gun, and Eleventh Hour.

Children's entertainment will include a KidZone amusement area with rides, a building workshop, and a clown who offers face painting, balloon sculpting and more.

The event also will include games for everyone, including bean bags, "Father Jerry's Football Follies," "Fishing for Ministries," and a raffle for $500 that will be awarded to six winners.

Proceeds from the entire Trifesta will benefit the St. Isidore We Care Fund and Feeding Northwest DuPage Food Pantries. The church's fund helps parishioners who find themselves in an unexpected emergency, Hatt said.

"We always use the funds to help parishioners in need, such as people out of work who are behind on rent or utilities," he said. "Of course in this economic climate, having that is very important, and over the last year we've had to dip into that quite a bit."

For details on St. Isidore's Trifesta, visit stisidoreparish.org.