Sr. Ann Venita Britto recently opened the design of the St. Anthony of Padua annual Harvest Festival up to the young people.
She had students of the nearby elementary school and children of the parish submit drawings for the Harvest of Mercy theme.
“This is in keeping with the Holy Year of Mercy as declared by Pope Francis,” said Sr. Ann.
The church is located at 505 E. North St. in Manteca.
She took three of the drawings and incorporated them into the design for this year’s festival commemorative t-shirts and polo shirts.
The drawing contest took place about three months ago, according to Keith Wiedenhoeft.
He and his wife, Lois, are co-chairs for the family-oriented two-day event scheduled for Sept. 17-18.
The Beer Garden, which will be expanded and rebranded ‘Beer, Bacon & Bands,’ and the remote control cars inside the gymnasium are among the new attractions for this year.
Along with entertainment, the admission-free festival will again feature multi-cultural foods such as tacos, tamales, lumpia and adobo.
Bingo and pull tabs are available to adults while youngsters can look forward to games and other activities.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18.
The Harvest Festival is the church’s major fundraiser of the year.
Meanwhile, Sr. Ann put the elements of the three drawings into the final design of the shirt, which are currently on sale at the parish office for $15 for adults and $10 for youth. Polo shirts in gray with the new design logo can also be had for $15.
For more information, call the parish office at 209.823.7197.

To contact reporter Vince Rembulat, e-mail vrembulat@mantecabulletin.com.