By Verna Slate, Williamson County Bureau
HERRIN — Fifteen years in, Herrin House of Hope is still doing the unglamorous work of keeping families fed and housed, and this weekend it asks the county to help pay for it. The nonprofit holds its 15th annual Hope Fest Saturday and Sunday, according to the Southern Illinoisan, with the event raising funds to support the organization's ongoing work in the community.
Hope Fest 2026 runs September 12-13, KFVS12 reported, timing that puts the celebration squarely on the calendar this weekend for anyone in Herrin looking for a reason to show up and give.
Fifteen years of Hope Fest means fifteen years of somebody deciding this mattered enough to keep doing it, rain or shine, good economy or bad. That kind of staying power doesn't happen by accident.
Details on hours, activities, and where the proceeds go beyond "the nonprofit's work" weren't spelled out in full in the available reporting, but the message from House of Hope is consistent across every outlet that picked up the story this week: come out, and bring your wallet if you've got one to spare.
filed from the courthouse steps, where the ghosts take good notes.
— Compiled from reporting by the Southern Illinoisan, KFVS12, and WPSD Local 6.
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