St. Ambrose 134th Annual Festival

It was time to visit Margie, my mother, in St. Augustine.  We arrived mid-March and Sunday March 22nd was the 134th Annual Spring Fair at St. Ambrose Catholic Church.  Consider this is an OLD fair, 134 years old, so you just have to go.  

St. Ambrose Church

The fair address is Elkton which is on Hwy 207 between St. Augustine and Palatka but the actual location is amid the farm fields, usually planted in corn and cabbage. The parish has a strong Menorcan influence and features local cuisine including Mincorcan clam chowder, pork pilau, and homemade desserts.

Community Hall in the rear
which was the dining hall
Clam Chowder was outside

My heritage includes the Menorcans and so I purchased a "Proud to be a Menorcan" shirt from the Menorcan Cultural Society booth.  Bill purchased a "Mullet on the Beach" shirt as the one he inherited from my father finally bit the dust.

A bit of background from the Menorcan Cultural Society

In 1768, over 1400 people left the Mediterranean and set sail for British East Florida.  Among this group were Menorcan, Greek, Italian, Corsican, and French peoples.  This was the largest single group of European settlers to immigrate as a single group to the New World.  ...

Gopher Hole at the Master's graves
an appropriate place!
Gophers were a favored food

So who could miss a tour of the church and cemetery while at the fair?  Certainly not us.  The church is exactly as I remembered, small and quaint.  I do not recall visiting the cemetery and a stroll revealed it is still actively used by the parishioners. We noticed a gopher hole at the Master's graves which is an appropriate place, I'm certain when legal the Master's consumed several bowls of gopher stew.

Yard Sale at the fair
an annual event

The fair was a family-friendly event where the bluegrass band abandoned the stage for talented children to  entertain us.  There was an antique car show, craft booths, a country store, the ever-present bake sale, and auctions.  And, who could pass up the a garage sale with treasures gathered from the local families.  Count me in for next year!