The 71st annual Red Flannel Festival in Cedar Springs (which will occur this year on the last weekend in September and the first in October) has attracted many Aquinas alumni, staff, and students as volunteers this year. The event began due to a great freeze in 1936 during which Cedar Springs started producing the winter weather garment. Seventy-one years later, the Red Flannel Festival shows no signs of losing its popularity. The festival has been rapidly growing adding 20 new attractions in the last couple years and has attracted an increasing amount of interest within the community.

Aquinas alumni that are volunteering this year include: Amy ‘95, Cindy ‘95, and Jeff Patin ’97 all of whom have been working on the Red Flannel Pageant preparations. Cindy will be in charge of scholarships and is a former Red Flannel Festival Queen. Stephanie Phelps ’98 and Tiffany Stevenson ’01 have been involved this year as well. Congruently, our own Dave Weinandy Ph.D., Professor of Communications, will be emceeing the pageant as he has for many years.

Sisters Marie Jude Wysocki and Ann Pollock ’26 of Marywood are both affiliated with the Festival as Ann owned the original store that sold the flannel in 1936. Volunteering for eight years is Matthew Andres, sophomore at Aquinas, and his mother, Michele Tracy-Andres, President of the Festival for the past eight years.

President Andres is hoping that the growing number of Aquinas alumni, staff, and students participating in the festival will attract more attention from the Aquinas network to the festival either as volunteers or simply as festival goers. Not only will attendance and volunteerism help out a local community but Andres hopes that it might also be able to connect members within the Aquinas network.

The Red Flannel Festival is still run solely by volunteers as it has been for the last 71 years.