CHELSEA, Iowa — An annual festival celebrated for more than 100 years may have served its last chicken and ham dinner.
Typically held the Sunday before Labor Day, St. Joseph’s Fall Festival has been canceled for 2026, after the Archdiocese of Dubuque instituted a restructuring plan for the Catholic church in Chelsea, Iowa, among its 160 parishes.
Under the “Journey in Faith” plan, which took effect in July 2026, St. Joseph’s no longer offers a weekend Mass, though services are held at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesdays, and funerals and weddings can continue to be celebrated there.
Parishioners answered a survey this summer to help determine the fate of future events, including the Fall Festival, with some questioning where funds raised during the all-volunteer festival might be funneled.
Related: Rural Iowa parish keeps Czech-flavored festival alive
The St. Joseph Fall Festival was held annually on the parish grounds in Chelsea, Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
It was unknown if the festival might be revived in the future.
Originating in 1919, the event’s centennial was marked in 2019. As were most events, the Fall Festival was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but had since returned.
St. Joseph’s relied on its parishioners and volunteers to serve an average of 600 dinners during the festival, featuring chicken, ham, potatoes, thin Czech-style noodles, sauerkraut, salads, desserts — including kolaches, a Czech fruit-filled favorite — and poppyseed-dotted Czech dinner rolls known as rohlicky.
Dinners were offered in the former St. Joseph’s School, while Bingo, paddle wheel, ring toss and other games were held on the church grounds, with some iconic games, such as balloon darts, used for decades and others, such as “cow chip bingo” that were newer.
A tractor-pulled “train” transported children and other guests around the grounds in another beloved tradition and a Country Store sold houseplants, fruits and vegetables, pies and other baked goods donated for the festival.
Kolaches, a fruit-filled Czech favorite, are seen at the 2019 St. Joseph’s Fall Festival dinner in Chelsea, Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Like many rural communities, Chelsea has struggled with a declining population, particularly following devastating floods in 1993 and other years. Currently, estimates put the population at just over 200 people who live in the town, located about 15 minutes from the Tama County seat of Toledo.
Settled in the mid-1800s by Czech immigrants who found the rolling hills of east-central Iowa similar to their home country, Chelsea residents and surrounding farm families still retain Czech traditions, including those in the parish, founded in 1867.
Phrases in the Czech language and names of Czech families remain etched along the walls of the 1904-built St. Joseph’s Church, many reflecting donations of stunning stained glass windows.
Another Czech-founded parish decided to continue with its annual festival for 2026, even after changes to its Masses. St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church plans to hold its annual Czech Goulash Day, set this year for Sunday, Sept. 27, in Cedar Rapids.
See more about the epic changes to Catholic churches in Eastern Iowa.
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