Popular Wichita church dinner featuring German sausage returns to pre-pandemic normal
.jpg "Members of the St. Joseph Catholic Parish are putting on their 62nd Annual Parish Dinner this weekend.")
One of the last normal things that was set to happen in Wichita back in 2020 — just before the COVID-19 pandemic upended life — was the annual St. Joseph Catholic Parish Dinner.
It was the 60th year for the dinner, a fundraiser for the St. Joseph Catholic Parish at 132 S. Millwood, and it was scheduled for March 15, 2020. Early in the week, organizers proclaimed that the Sunday dinner would still go on as planned, regardless of the cancellations happening throughout the city.
By Friday, however, Sedgwick County had banned public gatherings of more than 250 people, and organizers had to switch to a drive-through only setup.
It’s been a strange two years since for the dinner, which is the church’s largest annual fundraiser. But it will finally return to an in-person format this weekend. The dinner, which offers a meal of German sausage, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, cranberry applesauce and dessert, is set for Sunday.
Though the event continued throughout the pandemic, said Illysa Harms, the co-chair for the event, it’s been drive-through only for the past two years.
During that time, the group has learned much about how to put on a successful drive-through event, Harms said. But this year, they’ll offer both drive-through and dine-in, the latter of which will happen in the church’s new parish hall.
New this year for in-person diners: a beer garden has been added, and those who decide to dine-in can also enjoy adult beverages with their meals.
“Everybody’s been so ready to do it the normal way, and the beer garden brings excitement, too,” Harms said.
The event will also feature a game room with 25-cent games as well as a raffle, Harms said.
Meals cost $12, and people can get tickets at the event. They also can call the parish office at 316-261-5800 for advance tickets.
In-person dining will be available from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the drive-through will stay open until 5 p.m. or until the food sells out.
The event is like a big homecoming for parishioners, Harms said, but their goal is to draw food fans who aren’t members of the church.
“It’s so much fun, and there’s so much food,” she said.
This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 1:49 PM.
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