The coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the world over the past several months isn’t stopping one Summit Hill church from holding its annual festival, but with a twist.

On Friday and Sunday, St. Joseph Parish of the Panther Valley will hold the 86th annual parish festival, but this year, it is called the Summer Drive-in and will provide festivalgoers with a drive-in experience, complete with food, music and large prize raffles, all while maintaining social distancing and safety.

“With (the festival) being our major fundraiser for the parish, we felt it was necessary to do something,” said Joe O’Gurek, festival chairman. “With being limited to only 250 people, we felt this was the best way to do it and still offer the traditional ‘festival foods.’?”

In a typical year, approximately 250 church volunteers make the festival a reality, but changes had to be made to keep everyone safe as they prepare for the event.

The festival will be held only two days this weekend to allow for preparations to be completed while maintaining the safety of the volunteers. Hours of operations will be from 3 to 9 p.m. on Friday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

People who come to the Summer Drive-in will be directed to park in the new lot across the street from the church on West Ludlow Street and stay in their car. A festival worker will then provide them with a number and an order form.

All you have to do is fill out the form and give it back to the worker, who will run it down to the Rev. James Burdess Social Hall and get your order. Only cash or check will be accepted at the time of the order.

The church reminds patrons to please bring a mask with them to wear while speaking to the volunteers when parking and ordering food.

O’Gurek said that all orders will be filled in takeout containers. For larger orders of items, such as halupki, which is always a hit for taking home and freezing for later, the parish asks that you bring a container to give to the worker to fill.

Once you receive your order, if you are staying to eat in your car and listen to the music, you will be directed to park in the lot next to the church.

Beverages are not being sold at the event this year, so patrons are reminded to bring their own drinks if they are planning to park and eat their food at the church.

Food items that will be for sale include homemade pierogies, haluski and halupki; hot dogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers, soups, sausage and pepper sandwiches, meatball sandwiches, funnel cakes, wings and the always popular bleenies.

To add a little normalcy to the event, the church will also be holding its raffles, which include home heating and gas cards, a gas grill, patio set and fire pit, cash and a special 10-prize mega basket raffle with items valued at approximately $700.

Mega basket raffle items include a gaggle of gift cards; lottery tree; a Boyer’s gift card; a TP tower of paper product essentials; summer night supplies and cornhole boards; school supplies with an iPad; basket of cash; wine wheelbarrow; and a chest freezer that is filled with various meats.

The Rev. Allen Hoffa, pastor of St. Joseph, said that the mega prizes will be on display for patrons to see, and tickets for all items will be available for purchase on Friday and Sunday.

The drawing for the mega basket raffle will then be livestreamed on the parish’s Facebook page at 6 p.m. on Sunday.

“Although this will be a different approach, our Summer Drive-in will give us the opportunity to share the great aspects of our annual summer festival but with restrictions that respect greater caution considering COVID-19,” O’Gurek said.

For more information, visit the parish’s website at www.stjscatholicchurch.org/st-joseph-parish-summer-drive-in.

To purchase tickets ahead of time, call the parish office at 570-645-2664 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.