“By far the greatest festival we’ve ever had,” said Co-chairwoman Dolly Wehler of the Bavarian Fall Fest, which took place throughout the weekend in St. Marys.

This was a special celebration for the City of St. Marys: the city turned 175 this year, and residents used the festival as a means to acknowledge the landmark anniversary.

Months before the event, Wehler was worried the weather would be nasty as it has been in every single year of the Fall Fest. Wehler, doing her best to make sure the festival would be the best it could be, decided to turn to the St. Marys Catholic Elementary School principal for help.

“I asked her if she could help us out with prayers from the kids for good weather on the event,” she said. “She told me that that they would pray everyday.”

Regular attendees noted the fair weather, telling Wehler that she “lucked out” this year, but she said she was adamant in telling them it wasn’t luck.

“I’d tell them it wasn’t luck, it was the kids and their prayers.”

The fest saw a turnout of more than 2,000 in attendance, exceeding attendance numbers of previous years.

The Organization of the Year award was given out to the Historical Society of St. Marys and Benzington Township.

A new addition to the fest this year was the Little German Band from State College, which played throughout the entire parade on a float, then again on stage.

“They received a great ovation,” said Wehler.

A popular attraction this year was the basket giveaway, which Wehler mentioned saw a record number of participants.

“We had long lines of people waiting to try their luck,” she said. “And this was all before they went and experienced anything else in the festival.

Plans for next year’s Bavarian Fall Fest are already under way, and Wehler said she expects it to be as successful as this year’s fest.

“I’ll be asking the kids to pray for us again,” she said. “So, I know we’ll have just as good a festival.”