What began as “Visiting Day” in 1916 for families and students attending St. Rita School for the Deaf has turned into one of the longest running festivals in the tri-state area.

St. Rita Fest has a long-standing tradition of community involvement. Since the inception of “Visiting Day” which is now known as St. Rita Fest, local businesses and volunteers spend many hours helping to prepare for the annual festival.

Whether it is the family that makes the famous turtle soup, which sells out before the festival closes on Sunday evenings or selling raffle tickets to win tons of great prizes, St. Rita Fest is successful because of the commitment from people and businesses in the community.

The festival originally started with 7 booths and today has over 100 booths that include rides, food, and games.

Over the past 25 years, because of the generous support of volunteers and donors at St. Rita Fest, over $5 million dollars has been raised to help educate the students of St. Rita School for the Deaf.