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Cathedral School’s annual Fall Festival is coming up and as with virtually everything in the COVID-19 pandemic era organizers had to get creative to plan the event this year.

“It has definitely forced us to rethink, or think outside the box,” said Sarah Smith who is co-chair of the event this year with her husband, Aaron.

This year’s events are being scaled back from the midway carnival, bingo, golf and tennis events that usually occur on the fall festival weekend and will only include the “Paddlewheel” event that is popular on the fall festival weekend’s “Adult Night.”

Smith said organizers are hopeful they can hold the fall festival’s other events sometime in the spring.

The paddlewheel event is being held virtually this fall online at cathedralfallfest.com and includes packages that people can purchase “chances” to win.

“We have … 12 packages,” Smith said. “One of them is a Disney World trip that includes three-day park passes for a family of four, three nights at Disney Resort and $500 cash. Then we also have another trip, a Mexico trip, a Gatlinburg trip. We have a hunting package a fishing package, a home package. There is a beauty package in there. There is just all sorts of good stuff.”

People can view the items on the cathedralfallfest.com website and follow the links on the items they want to purchase chances on and pay online via Paypal, or they can send a check to the school by 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, before the paddlewheel drawings will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, Smith said.

“We are thankful that this year’s packages are just as great as they have always been despite the circumstances,” Smith said. “Our local businesses have really stepped up and donated as much as they can and it has really been awesome. We are thankful for that.”

Chances to win packages range in price from $10 for a local “Retail Therapy” package that includes several gift cards to local retail stores, to $175 for one chance in each package.

“It is basically like a ticket,” Smith said of the paddlewheel package purchases. “… Basically it is like a raffle ticket. You buy a chance and your name goes in a pot and we draw a name from that pot that will win the prize.”

The drawing will be lived streamed on the cathedralfallfestival.com website and on the school’s Facebook page, Smith said, and ticket purchasers will receive an email link to the live streaming event that will be filmed without an audience at the Cathedral School cafeteria at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10.

One positive to the live-streaming event, Smith said, is that more people can participate.

“Before it was localized, but now anybody can participate no matter where they are,” Smith said.

Cathedral’s Fall Festival is the school’s biggest fundraiser and Smith, who has two daughters in Cathedral’s elementary school, Eden and Adelaide, said she is grateful to everyone who has contributed to making the event possible.

“All of our small army of volunteers have just been incredible and they have stepped up like always but especially this year because of the unusual and difficult circumstances,” Smith said. “We want to thank everyone who has helped out.”