For 21 years (1988-2009), Octoberfest was a beloved Columbus Day weekend tradition for the Sisters in Wilton and the surrounding areas. Buses would come to Villa Notre Dame from as far away as New Jersey and Massachusetts, full of former students of SSNDs and members of parishes where the Sisters had taught (or were still teaching).
“It was a community thing – our community and the surrounding community,” remembers Sister John Vianney Zullo, who chaired the event for nine years. She would be the first one on the buses to greet the guests as they arrive. “It was a wonderful gathering time. The buses brought people back, it reunited them with us, and they brought new friends, too. It was nice to have the neighborhood come in, as well. Yes, it was a fundraiser, but it was more of a friendraiser. We met up with students (past and present), people we had ministered to. It was very much a reunion. And we did very well for a long time. Twenty-one years – not too many fundraisers go on that long.”
Villa Notre Dame was transformed each year for the event. A variety of theme rooms were created, each run by a different chairperson, both sisters and associates. Donations for the different rooms came in throughout the year from neighbors, family and friends. Paschal Hall was the food hall, which honored the congregation’s German roots with traditional food such as knockwurst and sauerkraut, as well as beer. There was a Children’s Room with games and toys for the younger visitors. Early seasonal shopping could be done in the Christmas Room or the General Store. There was stationery in the Print Shop, and an International Boutique to lend a bit of interculturality to the proceedings.
Games of Chance offered the opportunity to win back some of the money spent in the other rooms, or other prizes such as gift baskets. Today, one of the last remnants of the Octoberfest celebration is a calendar raffle in which ticketholders have a chance every day in October to win a cash prize, with a larger prize given on Foundation Day (October 24) and a grand prize presented on the last day of the month.
The Octoberfest Bakery had a variety of homemade goods, including – during the later years – Sister Theodore Baccala from Baltimore baking her famous pizzelle cookies onsite, filling the halls with enticing smells. Hers were not the only popular treats. “Those buses were there right at 10,” recalls Sister John Vianney. “Sister Barbara would make raisin bread, and they would run off the buses to the bakery to buy the bread before it sold out.”
One of the most popular rooms was the Craft Shop. Sisters would dedicate a special week during the summer to come together in Wilton and create enticing items to be sold during the two-day festival.
“Another popular thing was the 50/50,” Sister John Vianney says. “People really loved that. I think we did three or four of them a weekend, and sometimes we gave away as much as $600.”
Throughout Saturday and Sunday, visitations to the chapel were available for those who might want to go there for prayer and reflection, or even just to see the chapel’s stunning stained glass windows.
“I loved the event, I loved working with the sisters. I loved welcoming our many guests. They were very spirited times,” says Sister John Vianney fondly.