St. Dominic had a significant success on Friday night with the fourth annual Crusaderfest, a 21 and older event designed to bring past alumni and fellow crusaders together for a night of food, music and fun.

“Crusaderfest is an evening when past, present, and future Crusader families can gather and enjoy fellowship on our beautiful campus. It is an evening where all can gather to listen to some great music, enjoy some delicious food, and appreciate each other’s company. The bands or individual singers are alumni of St. Dominic and it is always great to have them back on campus,” principal Mrs. Stacey Stewart said.  

The event was originally going to take place outdoors at Crusader Stadium, however festivities ended up taking place in the Sister Mary Bender Lobby due to some unforeseen problems with the weather. However, some fire pits were available for those who wished to gather outside.

Some food from various restaurants were enjoyed by the participants. Places like El Tio Pepe, Duke’s BBQ, Fair Market, Pretzel Boys and more were available for purchase on Friday night.

Crusaders enjoyed live music from St. Dominic’s very own Matt Wynn and Common Ground. Matt is a current Nashville Recording Artist and graduated from St. Dominic in 2012. Common Ground featured Jason Huster, class of ‘86 and Doug Albrecht, class of ‘82.

“[My favorite part is when] we bring back alumni musicians including Matt Wynn ‘12, who is a national country music recording artist in Nashville,” President Mr. Jim Welby said.

For Mrs. Stewart, she mostly enjoyed standing around the fire pits with everyone and meeting new families while also visiting with current ones. She hopes to be able to continue to hold this event at the stadium next year so they can enjoy one of “our most highly visible beautiful sites on campus.”

Crusaderfest, which started four years ago as a way to build on the fourth pillar of St. Dominic, community, is the perfect night to reflect on that pillar and to bring everyone together in the interest of community.

“Whenever you can get together families on campus and enjoy each other it has a positive impact on our St. Dominic community. When these events are held it provides connections not only to St. Dominic as a school, but connection to one another-family to family,” Mrs. Stewart said.

This year’s Crusaderfest was a night filled with community and fellowship. If you missed it this year, be sure to attend the many upcoming alumni events that will pop up throughout the year.