News

From the Desk of the Autumn Festival Committee . . . . .

 WE DID IT AGAIN!!!! The 2008 Autumn Festival had just highlighted its success mainly because of the un-ending support of our Parish Pastor, Fr. Norman Segovia, our Parish Vicar, Fr. Romy Miano, our school Principal, Judy Perskowski, the parents and the students of the St. John the Baptist School, our parishioners, and to all the volunteers within and outside of our parish who have extended theirs hands, talents and dedication.  . . . .  a million “THANK YOU”  to all of you!

 Success is constant if the goal is justified with the supporters who passionately believe in the cause of its mission. The committee cannot possibly accomplish this success without the multitude talents from you all.

Thank you Fr. Norman for allowing us to use your Karaoke machine/sound system for the Bingo game. It brought a lot of players into the game.

The sumptuous food that was served by all the talented chefs and volunteers, from the Indian community, their famous Chicken Marsala and the Samozas were all delicious! All authentically cooked and prepared just for the festival.

The Vietnamese chefs and volunteers who patiently simmered their famous Pho (beef bone soup) all night that warmed the attendees’ chilly first night of the festival. It was a HIT!  The soup was sold out on the first few hours that Friday evening.

The Italian volunteers and chefs, on their signature spaghetti was a knock-out! So delicious enough that home cooking was put to shame . . . good feedback was being forwarded.

The Mexican chefs and volunteers, you stick with the festival through thick and thin . . .  we can never thank you enough. We hope that your un-ending support will never fade and keep serving us your best menudo. 

The Filipino chefs and volunteers, your Adobo earned its name again! You put in your 101% of your talents and humor regardless of shortage on steamed rice . . . (you ran out of rice twice?) you still managed to smile and catered to your customers’ need. That was superb!

The Snack Shack and the Sweets and Treats chefs and volunteers . . . your corn and garlic fries was the “name of the game!” You enthusiastically served that “garlicky” thing and you made everybody crazy! A trademark is born! And hey, where can you find “sago” with ice cream in it along with the Marie Calendar’s apple and peach pies! It never happened, only at this festival.  

To the Philly Cheese Steak chef and his volunteers, and you know who you are, a big applause to all of you for making one of the best Cheese Steak sandwich in town! It was yummy, indeed!

 The wine and beer volunteers and connoisseurs, you made a lot of souls happy for making it affordable to those who knows how to party! It is the real thing! You were one of the famous booths in that event; the so-called “icing on the cake!” 

Of course, when the ambiance calls for soothing drinks, we had the Drinks Booth combined with volunteers who cheerfully served with pizzazz! Didn’t we need those sodas the following day? It was too hot and it came in handy!

To the Rummage Sales volunteers, your dedication in collecting and selling those donated items for the festival year after year, we could not have done it without you.

To the Silent Auction volunteers, a job well done again! Your expertise and artistic talents on the presentation of the items to be auctioned impacted the outcome of your duty. Not to forget the unique dinner auction by Fr. Norman and Fr. Romy’s produced the highest income for the venue. You almost sold it all except for 4 items? What an entrepreneurial talent you have!

To the security and traffic volunteers who exceptionally safe guarded the festival and its premise. The signage and traffic being handled properly made the festival a safe haven for our guests, participants and their families. Along with the First Aid crews, your medical expertise and presence were all a big factor in the success of this festival.

To the school parents who took care of all the game booths, you undeniably gave your best for the success of the festival. Having you is one of the most precious gifts this festival had ever had. Your efforts and camaraderie had transpired once again and we hope that your partnership with the festival would be considered for more years to come. You are a great example to your children who hopefully will continue the tradition of the festival.

To the barbeque volunteers who bravely battled the heat from the sun and the grill, you have made it all possible for everyone to enjoy your delicious, mouth watering Southern style cooking! Yummmmmmmy . . . 

To the Entertainment volunteers and crews, always lightened our load by keeping us happy and joyful. The varieties of your showmanship never seem to fade out. It gets better and better, year after year! “The St. John has Talents” proved that we have the talents and energy of our youth that will bring our community forward in the coming years.

The Historical Museum volunteers walked us down the aisle of our parish’s humble beginning through the collection of memorabilia. Their resourcefulness helped us to understand and learn about our parish’s past. 

The City of Milpitas who continuously helps us prepares and mandates the safety as well as encourages community building efforts beyond our parish along with the Santa Clara Environmental Health Agency.  

To our new carnival “Midway of Fun,” who had given more exciting rides this year brought joy to so many young faces.

To the ever growing list of sponsors and the in-kind donors, may you continue to support in our mission in bringing our community together. It helps us defray the cost of providing a growing festival. We could not do it without your help.

 Lastly, to those who showed up unexpectedly and picked up the “baton” and worked through their own uniqueness because they were given the guilt trip from their family and/or friends, or mainly because they believe on the festival’s mission, or just merely enthused with the solidarity the community had exhibited, a big hooray to you! You can never go wrong!

Another year had past, another mission had been accomplished, and more goals to be fulfilled for our beloved parish, St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish of Milpitas, and its school.

We, the Autumn Festival Committee can never thank you enough and no words can ever express our gratitude for your endless support and commitment to the mission of our festival.  We pray that God will grant us the abundance of health, charity and peace so that we can continue to accomplish our goals for the coming years. May God bless us all as always and we hope to see you all once again next year.