Thousands gather at St. Ferdinand Church on Friday for Family Festival
CRANBERRY TWP — Divine Grace Parish’s yearly Family Festival returned on Friday at 4 p.m., kicking off a weekend of family oriented attractions.
From carnival rides and a kiddieland area with a trackless train to bingo and skill games, St. Ferdinand Church’s campus was filled with family oriented activities for an energetic crowd.
The event’s classic white elephant sale was set up as well under the roof of two huge circus tents. The sale covered 15,000 square feet and featured all kinds of donated items which the church then resold to raise funds.
“It’s amazing how much we get in donated items,” said the Rev. Jim Wehner, pastor at the parish.
Wehner described the sale as a “huge flea market.”
Turnout was equally impressive. Wehner said that a thousand people came through in the first 24 minutes.
Wehner said, “When it’s all said and done, we’d have about 20,000 people between tonight and Sunday night.”
Friday’s live entertainment was a performance from Michelle’s Dance Center and music by Spin Cyle and Acoustic Daze.
“It’s good for the community,” Wehner said about the festival. “It’s good for families and it’s a fundraiser, so it's good for the parishes.”
Starting as a small gathering of women for a tea social, the Family Festival has been taking place at St. Ferdinand since the 1960s.
Over time, it has evolved into a full-fledged festival, Wehner said. Now, it is backed by all three churches involved in the parish: St. Ferdinand Church in Cranberry, St. Gregory Church in Zelienople and Holy Redeemer Church in Ellwood City.
The festival continues to grow — Jamie Shearer, festival co-chairman, said every year something new is added to the festival. Games and dinner menus are new every year.
Programming saw big changes this year too, said Shearer. In 2026, hands-on activities from the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and an education program featuring owls presented by the National Aviary were added. Also new was the option to pay at food booths directly with cash rather than needing to purchase food tickets first, according to the parish’s website.
More than 500 volunteers work together to put the event together, starting in fall for a 10-month long planning process, said Wehner.
Programming for Saturday, Aug. 8, was scheduled to start at 4 p.m. and conclude at 10 p.m., while Sunday’s is planned from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
