LEWISTON – Holy Cross School, located on Baird Street, will hold its annual Fall Festival from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, in the church hall and on the grounds surrounding the school.

Festivities will include raffle tables, casino games, auction items, including a painting donate by local artist Mercedes Gastonguay, crafts, bake sale and all-day café. Children can enjoy pony rides, pumpkin bounce, crafts, games and face painting. The Lewiston Fire Department and United Ambulance will also be on hand with trucks, equipment and educational displays.

Again this year, the Knights of Columbus Council 12652 will sell Crusader Bond Cash Raffle tickets. The raffle offers six cash winnings – two at $125 each, one drawing of $250, $500, $1,500 and $2,500 each.

The cost is $10 a ticket with a total of 1,500 tickets to be sold. Winners will be drawn at the conclusion of the festival and tickets are available in advance by calling 783-9323.

The festival is Holy Cross School’s biggest fund-raiser and is a collaborative effort involving the students, teachers, volunteers, parents, area businesses and civic organizations.

“The Fall Festival generates a lot of excitement within our school community,” said Louise Charest, special events and community relations coordinator. “It takes the commitment of a large number of people to make this event happen, and every year we strive to improve upon the previous year, introducing new surprises and fun things to do. We hope to see a lot of new faces at this year’s festival.”

Holy Cross School is one of Maine’s largest Catholic elementary schools with 400 students in grades pre-kindergarten through eighth. The school maintains two campuses, with the second housing the junior high situated on the Sabattus Street.