The 51st Annual Holy Trinity Catholic Church Festival in Litomysl features Old Tyme music including a Polka Mass.
The Mass is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. in the air conditioned stone church built from rocks in surrounding fields over 1940 and 1941.
Over 600 truckloads of local stones were used in constructing one of the largest stone churches in the U.S.A.
There is a shuttle service to the church if you need to park some distance from the church because there is not a lot of parking on the grounds.
Rose Ann and Bruce Kubicek told KDHL listeners Tuesday the rural church surrounded by corn and bean fields is growing again.
Proceeds from the event used to be used to assist running the St. Isidore school. It ceased operating in 2015.
St. Isidore is the Catholic patron saint of farmers.
Litomysl is located 10 miles south of Owatonna. With single lane traffic along I-35 from Owatonna to the Hope exit if you are going from Faribault I would recommend taking County Road 45 through Owatonna to County Road 4. There will be a large sign telling you the church road is a few miles east.
You will see the church spire from the road as you get nearer and then the turn south to Litomysl.
The Kubiceks told us there used to be a Post Office and a creamery in the community like many small communities when transportation was not as advanced .
A recording of the special program on KDHL is below.
Holy Trinity Church parish dates back to 1878 when settlers in the Litomysl community built their first church.
Litomysl is named after the original Litomysl which is about 100 miles east of Prague the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic.
The Litomysl there has about 10,000 residents.
The festival has something for every member of the family. Pony rides, games for kids of all ages with thousands of prizes.
A huge silent auction takes up much of the St. Isidore Parish Center (formerly the school).
A used-a-bit sale and country store with fresh produce.
There is face painting, wagon rides and there are raffles and pull tabs.
The air conditioned church is handicapped accessible. Church members bake thousands upon thousands of Buchte (fruit-filled biscuits) for the event.
A Buchte and Kolacky are similar and both are delicious if you like fruit.
The Buchte is closed faced while the Kolacky is a open faced bun or biscuit.
The Dan Stursa Band and the Gary Brueggen Family Band from Wisconsin will perform their music on the church grounds. The Klecker Band have played at every festival. Hans Hohrman is also performing.
In addition to delicious Buchte there will be pie and ice cream in the church basement.
Various food stands will serve pork rib sandwiches, pork burgers, brats, hot dogs, walking tacos, root beer floats and various drinks to quench your thirst.