NATCHEZ &8212; Cathedral School&8217;s Fall Festival is an event that is both steeped in tradition, while also offering something special for newcomers.

Ever since the founding of St. Joseph&8217;s High School and Cathedral Elementary in 1847, there have been benefits to raise money for the schools, former festival chairman Betty Lou Hicks said.

&8220;Back when I went to school here in the 50s it was called the Bazaar,&8221; Hicks said.

Hicks said the festival was started by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart priesthood and continued by the Daughter&8217;s of Charity.

Some of the first methods used to make money that have carried on through the years are the craft table, now called the novelty table, and junk or garage sale items, once called bric-a-brac, Hicks said.

&8220;As long as the festival has been here, the ladies of St. Mary&8217;s Parish have made hand made crafts to sell to raise money for the school,&8221; Hicks said.

The linen table has an interesting history too, Hicks said.

Because homeowners could not find tablecloths big enough to fit the tables in their houses when they opened them up for the Spring and Fall Pilgrimages, Hicks said the ladies of the parish specially ordered linens from the priests and nuns in Ireland and would sew tablecloths and napkins to sell in Natchez.

Food has always been a major part of the festival, Hicks said.

&8220;One mainstay of the festival has been the juicy burgers or sloppy Joes,&8221; Hicks said.

Hicks said every time a newcomer to the festival suggests getting rid of the juicy burgers the rest of the festival veterans protest.

&8220;It just wouldn&8217;t be Fall Festival without those juicy burgers,&8221; Hicks said.

Tom Graning, 40, said he has been active with the festival for 30 years.

&8220;My mother, Kelly Junkin Graning, used to make the juicy burgers for the festival and as a kid I remember eating those burgers all year round because she had made too many,&8221; Graning said. &8220;As a child I anticipated this weekend every year and it seems the same now as it did back then.&8221;

Parents like Wray and Jennifer Michel Eidt have enjoyed the festival for years and now bring their children to experience it too.

&8220;My mother, Sissy, cooked for the festival for 35 years and while I was playing at the booths she would be working in them or cooking,&8221; Wray said. &8220;Now one of my little girls, Julia, is celebrating her first Fall Festival and she&8217;s having a ball.&8221;

Both of Wray and Jennifer&8217;s daughters, Maggie, 6, and Julia, 3, said they enjoyed the slide and the horse back riding.

Jennifer said she looks forward to the festival so her girls can play with other children.

&8220;It&8217;s just fun to see friends and family I&8217;ve not seen in a while and for my children to play with theirs,&8221; Jennifer said.

Families, newly arrived to Natchez have come to enjoy their first Fall Festival experience.

Genny Harrison, from Arkansas, married a Natchez native, Bradley and the two decided to move back to Natchez from their home in Baton Rouge before Hurricane Katrina.

Harrison said she wanted to enroll her daughter, Christi, in kindergarten at Cathedral.

&8220;We wanted to raise our family here as part of the Cathedral family,&8221; Harrison said.

Five-year old Christi said it was her first Fall Festival and she really liked it.

&8220;My favorite is the &8220;Go Fishing&8221; booth because I can catch prizes,&8221; Christi said.

Liz Farmer is also a newcomer to the Fall Festival.

&8220;We like the Fall Festival and Cathedral because they encourage so much participation that it makes you feel like you are member of a family,&8221; Farmer said.

Farmer said her favorite thing about the festival is the silent auction.

Children of the school raised money to buy items to package them together, such as a package dedicated to the University of Mississippi and a hunting package, which will be auctioned off at 2 p.m. Sunday.

&8220;It amazes me how these kids come together and raise this money for the school,&8221; Farmer said.