Days of Yore looks to the future, celebrates growth

St. Thomas More Parish

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Members of the Mug Club display their pewter tankards at the 2005 Days of Yore Festival at St. Thomas More Parish. This year, parishioners will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of their parish.photo courtesy of St. Thomas More Parish

SANDY — It has been a long time since the parishioners of St. Thomas More Catholic Church last celebrated Mass at Cannon Mortuary or St. James Episcopal Church. Though there have been many changes in the 25 years since the establishment of the Sandy parish in 1981, like the construction of a church and the addition of over 1,000 families, the annual Days of Yore festival has remained an area favorite.

Featuring carnival rides for children and the "Dueling Piano Show" which plays often at the Tavernacle Social Club in Salt Lake City, as well as the renaissance theme in honor of parish namesake St. Thomas More, this year’s Days of Yore Festival promises to be the biggest yet.

"It helps us build a good community spirit in our Parish," said David Kubinski, festival spokesman. "It attracts all the parishioners as well as other members of the Cottonwood Heights community with this. Even the LDS church has promoted it for us in the past," he added.

The Days of Yore festival is also notable for its gastronomic traditions. Appearing again this year, Frank Sida will provide homemade Italian and Polish sausages using his family’s special recipe. Also, the Mug Club will again treat 40 people to as much of their favorite drink as they can handle.

A golf tournament June 3 and a 5K run June 10 will embellish the June 9-11 festival. Preregistration is recommended for the tournament and the race.

Proceeds from this year’s festival will fund the parish’s youth ministry and social justice programs among others, and 10% will be donated to the American Cancer Society and Angel’s Hands, a Utah charity dedicated to helping families with children suffering from rare diseases.

For more information, call St. Thomas More Parish at 942-5258