SHREWSBURY – Last weekend was special for St. Mary’s Syriac Orthodox Church in Shrewsbury.
From August 11 to 13, the church held the second annual Mediterranean Festival. The event was particularly significant because it coincides with the church’s 100-year anniversary in October. The patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox community will visit the church for that occasion.
“This is a big thing for us,” said George Hanna, one of the volunteers and organizers of the event.
Planning for the event started as soon as the last festival ended.
“[The meeting after the festival], we’ll see what we did good, what we did bad, and where our weaknesses are. We try to enhance it. This exact festival – [we planned] at least three or four months, but there’s ideas that started from last year,” said volunteer and organizer Henry Bahnan.
The church estimated that over 5,000 people would attend the three-day event.
The event featured authentic Mediterranean cuisine, including shawarma, kabobs, stuffed grape leaves, and baklava. Volunteers helped prepare thousands of fresh meals for the hungry event attendees.
Countless church members volunteered their time to help run the festival. The organization printed 100 volunteer t-shirts; they were practically all gone before the event.
“They love their church – and that’s how you get all your volunteers,” Bahnan said.
The event also featured live music from “The Prince” Marwan Zgheib, George Kentar, and DJ Roy C. For children, the festival had bouncy houses and sugary treats (cotton candy and snow cones).
“This is open for everybody, but it’s very important to know that this is a family festival. We all respect and enjoy each other,” Bahnan said. “Come be yourself, with your shorts, with your t-shirt. Have your cigar, some drinks, some food. Enjoy the atmosphere.”
St. Mary’s Syriac Orthodox Church is located at 1 Industrial Drive in Shrewsbury. Visit https://www.facebook.com/SaintM/ for more information.
