NATCHEZ — As the price of education continues to climb, Cathedral School parents uphold a fun-filled fundraising tradition to keep the cost in check.

The not-so-secret to their success is the 163rd annual Fall Festival scheduled for this weekend on the school campus. Several hundred people are expected to attend the fundraiser, proceeds of which go into the general education fund for the school.

The fall festival has been a Green Wave tradition since the school’s founding in 1847.

“(The money) goes right back into the school,” fall festival chairwoman Liz Farmer said. “Keeping it in the general fund, they can buy computers and what the students need without going to the parents. They use it where it’s needed — updating the computer lab, keeping up with the education system. Technology grows, and you need to keep it up updated. They don’t teach the same way they used to teach.

“It helps keep tuition down,” Farmer said.

The Cathedral Green Wave football team kicks off Fall Festival weekend at 7 p.m. Friday with its homecoming game against West Lincoln at D’Evereux Stadium.

Starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, the festival hits high gear with midway games, a cakewalk, dunking booth, class art projects and face painting for the kids. Adults can check on their favorite teams with a visit to the sports tent.

Saturday’s dinner bill of fare features barbecue ribs and bowls of gumbo, followed by a live paddle auction. Among the items up for bid are an overnight stay at the Turpin House, New Orleans Saints tickets and hotel accommodations, outdoor patio packages, an electric scooter, an iTouch and iPad.

Visitors can take home prizes with raffles and a silent auction during the weekend. Raffle prizes include a Bad Boy four-wheel drive electric buggy, an Orange Beach vacation package, a 26-inch LCD flat-screen TV, a $1,000 savings bond, a Dell laptop computer, $800 in gasoline, $2,500 cash, a “Bed of Dreams,” an Apple iPod Touch, Vera Bradley luggage and a basket of spirits.

Sunday’s activities begin at 11 a.m. and include a traditional turkey dinner. The festival draws to a close with the raffle drawings and bingo in the cafeteria from 2 to 4 p.m.

For more information on the Fall Festival, visit www.cathedralgreenwave.com.