McCORDSVILLE — Fried fish and deep-fried Oreos are both on the menu for this year’s Lord’s Acre Festival.
One is tradition at the McCordsville United Methodist Church event. The other is a twist.
That blend of what’s worked for decades, sprinkled with a little something different in the festival’s food or entertainment, keeps each year’s festival unique from the one before, said church member Sharon Phillips.
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“You have to be there to see it,” she said. “A lot of times it’s a surprise when you get here.”
The Rev. Daniel Payton, pastor of the church, said the festival has kept with tradition while also adapting to better serve the community.
“It’s kind of cool, watching the trajectory of the festival,” he said. “As the times have changed, the festival itself has changed and become more of a family festival than a fish fry.”
This fall, the church plans to launch another change it hopes will also resonate with families: a second service at 11:11 a.m. Sundays, beginning in October. Payton describes it as “a modern service with a traditional twist.”
The praise band for this new service will be part of the festival’s entertainment lineup, playing at 6 p.m. Sept. 8.
The festival started in 1952 as a way to raise money for a new parsonage next to the church, 6247 W. Broadway, McCordsville. After the parsonage was paid for, the proceeds became a maintenance fund helping cover costs such as storm windows or a new organ.
“When this was a more agricultural community, farmers would donate the proceeds from one acre,” Phillips said. “Now we don’t have so many farmers. People do projects; people might collect their aluminum cans. (Or) some type of craft that they do. That’s their contribution.”
Through the years, different festival practices have come and gone. In the early years, a young woman active in the church was chosen each year as festival queen. A parade featured floats made by Sunday School classes and local businesses, with some of the class floats depicting scenes from the Bible.
Some years the menu has featured a hog roast or ox roast, but for most of its 66 years a fish fry by the United Methodist Men has anchored the menu, as it will this year.
Some form of auction has long been part of the festival as well.
This year, a dunk tank will be back at the festival, as there are people volunteering to sit in it. “We have those who are interested in participating as ‘victims,’” Phillips said.
Live entertainment has long been part of the festival, with a mix of well-known names and home-grown talent gracing the stage. At the 1957 festival, Miss Indiana USA Pat Dorsett came to present the prizes to winners of an “amateur night” talent show.
These days, children’s activities have been added to the festival, with bounce houses parked there and youth group members offering free face painting and selling freshly popped popcorn.
The festival’s traditional conclusion is Sunday worship under one of the large tents — another nod to tradition.
“It kind of reminds me of the old-style tent revivals,” Payton said. “We kind of keep that heritage alive there, by having worship in the tent.”
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The 67th annual Lord’s Acre Festival runs from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Sept. 7 and 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 8. It concludes with worship under a festival tent at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 9 outside the church, 6247 W. Broadway, McCordsville.
The menu features fish sandwiches for $5, with tenderloin, chicken, hot dogs and sloppy Joes also available for sale, as well as various sides and desserts.
More than 30 vendors will have booths at the festival. A silent auction runs both days.
There is no charge for the children’s bounce house or face painting.
Friday’s festivities include a car show and music by Group 541.
Saturday’s menu features chicken and noodles from 11:30 a.m. till they run out, in addition to the regular festival menu. The entertainment lineup for that day:
-guitarist 4 p.m.
-Silly Safaris animal show 5 p.m.
-church praise band 6 p.m.
-Matt McClintock 6:45 p.m.
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