CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A popular annual festival featuring Czech food and entertainment returns to St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church as the parish celebrates its sesquicentennial.
Czech Goulash Day is set for 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, on the church grounds at 1224 Fifth St. SE, Cedar Rapids.
See photos from a past Czech Goulash Day
A 10:30 a.m. Mass is followed by live music from the Iowa Accordion Club at 11:30 a.m.; Barefoot Becky at 12:30 p.m.; and Jim, Sam & Friends from 2:30-4 p.m.
Audience members dance to the music during the 2021 Czech Goulash Day. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
The festival features raffles, Bingo, a kids zone, tours of the 1904 church and food, including its namesake goulash – what some might consider a beef and vegetable stew — and kolaches, a popular fruit-filled Czech pastry.
Founded in Cedar Rapids in 1874 by Bohemian immigrants, St. Wenceslaus is a Czech national parish, meaning any Catholic of Czech descent can be a member, regardless of parish boundaries.
Historical memorabilia from the past 150 years will be displayed during Czech Goulash Day to celebrate the founding of the church.
A paddle wheel from 1936 is seen in the St. Wenceslaus Church basement. Live geese were among raffle prizes during previous church festivals. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Annual parish fundraisers at St. Wenceslaus date back to 1894, then known as the Bazaar. The Bazaar was suspended during World War I, but the parish fundraisers resumed in 1922, and the festival marked 100 years in 2022.
St. Wenceslaus sustained damage during Iowa’s 2020 hurricane-strength derecho when straightline winds of up to 140 mph tore through Cedar Rapids. Winds ripped off the roof of the church’s Glovik Parish Center, a 1926 gymnasium that serves as the hub of social activities.
The festival was suspended due to the damage in 2020, but resumed in 2021. The church was also hard-hit during unprecedented flooding in 2008, but rebounded with the help of volunteers.
Historical memorabilia on display at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library marks the sesquicentennial of St. Wenceslaus Church. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
A display at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids through October also highlights the church’s sesquicentennial.
Items on display include a wedding dress from the wedding of Lillian Barta and Lumir Kriz at St. Wenceslaus in 1924, donated by granddaughter Lynnae A. Kriz, and a 1954 letter sweater from St. Wenceslaus High School, along with photos and other memorabilia.
Other events where the 150th anniversary will be highlighted include a tour of St. John’s Cemetery, 1340 17th St. SE, at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, and a Sesquicentennial Mass at the church with Archbishop Zinkula at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19.
More: See photos of a Czech immigration mural in Cedar Rapids
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