Immaculate Conception Summerfest slated

by Dennis Dalman

editor@thenewsleaders.com

The Gone Fishin’ Southern Gospel Group will perform at a musical Mass at 10 a.m. Sunday, July 19 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Rice.

The Mass and concert will take place just before the church’s annual Summerfest celebration, which will last throughout the day until 5:30 p.m.

Gone Fishin’ is a four-member group comprised of Dale and Nancy Zenner of Sartell, Nancy’s sister Barbie Schoenleben of St. Cloud and Marc Kelasch of Rice, who is a member of Immaculate Conception Church.

In 2005, the Zimmers began to discuss forming a gospel music group because they both love to sing and wanted, through song, to inspire others in the gospel messages of Jesus Christ. A year later, the four-member group was formed, and they began performing to warmly appreciative audiences far and wide.

They named the group Gone Fishin’ based on Matthew 4:19 in the Bible when Jesus Christ said, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” In its press releases, Dale Zimmer stated Gone Fishin’ members “bait the hook with the Love of the Kingdom.”
Gone Fishin’ performs songs in the rousing, happy, life-affirming music of the Southern gospel tradition that makes a congregation want to clap hands, move their feet and get up and dance.

The Summerfest Mass is from 10-11 a.m. After the Mass, there will be a hog roast with all the fixin’s and homemade pies from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. At 12:30 p.m., a pedal tractor pull will begin.

The River Breeze Band will perform from noon-2 p.m. The grand raffle will start at 5 p.m. and wrap up the day at about 5:30 p.m.

Throughout the day, there will be cash bingo, a beer stand, food stands, paddlewheel prizes, a cake walk, Grandma’s Attic Country Store, a quilt raffle, basket raffle, silent action, nail lumberjack contest, a ring toss and kids’ barrel-rain rides.