Flint Township View

Mideast festival coming July 19-21




Crowds line up for the delicious homemade food at Our Lady of Lebanon Mid-East Festival. This year’s festival is set for July 19-21 at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, 4133 Calkins Road. The festival will include music, belly dancing, chilFESTIVAL dren’s activities, fireworks and, of course, lots of Middle Eastern cuisine. Photo provided by Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church

Crowds line up for the delicious homemade food at Our Lady of Lebanon Mid-East Festival. This year’s festival is set for July 19-21 at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, 4133 Calkins Road. The festival will include music, belly dancing, chilFESTIVAL dren’s activities, fireworks and, of course, lots of Middle Eastern cuisine. Photo provided by Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church

FLINT TWP. — Our Lady of Lebanon Mid-East Festival set for July 19-21 promises entertainment, children’s activities and, of course, lots of delicious Middle Eastern food.

Church Secretary Dawn Davis said the women of the church already have started cooking for the three-day festival.

“The food is all prepared by the church,” she said. “This week we had 20 to 30 ladies in here, and next week we’ll have that many or more. The week of the festival there are many more hands involved.”

The festival at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church, 4133 Calkins Road, opens at 11:30 a.m. July 19 and noon on July 20-21 with music all afternoon, children’s activities and the chance to line up to sample the festival menu.

Davis said the festival is the church’s biggest fundraiser.

“We have thousands and thousands of people come,” she said. “It’s the biggest revenue maker. We use it to get things done around the church and to help the community.”

Available for purchase will be meals of rice and yakhni, beef and lamb kabob, chicken kabob and falafel. Meals include designated sides and pop or water. Sandwiches include beef and lamb kabob, beef shawarma, chicken kabob, chicken shawarma and falafel. These can be purchased as meat only, sandwich only, with fries and pop or water or tabouli and pop or water. Sides include baked meat pies, baked spinach pies and kibbe balls. Options are buy one, six, a dozen or two dozen. Other sides include french fries, hummus, Mid-east cheese bread, rice, rice and yakhni, stuffed grape leaves, tabouli and zaatar bread. Desserts include baklawa fingers, baklawa walnut, gihrouribehpistachio, honey balls, namoura, maamoul with dates and maamoul with walnuts. Drinks include American coffee, Arabic coffee, Gatorade, pop and water.

Children’s activities include an 18-foot-high slide, bungee run, bunny bounce house, obstacle course challenge, princess bounce house, cannon, joust fight, mechanical bull, radar speed pitch, soccer, sumo wrestling, walk on water and football target. Games run from 5 to 10 p.m. July 19, 2 to 10 p.m. July 20 and 1 to 6 p.m. July 21.

Wristbands are available to purchase from opening until 8 p.m. July 19-20 and until 4:30 p.m. on July 21 and are valid from time of purchase until the end of the day. Wristbands for $10 get unlimited sessions on the slide, bungee run, obstacle course challenge and the bounce houses. Other activities are not included. A $25 wristband includes unlimited sessions at all activities except the football target. Tickets will be available for purchase from open until 9:30 p.m. July 19 and 20 and until 5:30 p.m. July 21. Each activity requires a designated number of tickets. A Henna tattoo artist also will be available.

The entertainment schedule for July 19-20 starts off at 7 p.m. and at noon on July 21. Entertainment includes music, live bands, belly dancing and dabke performances and a fireworks show at 9:50 p.m. on July 19 and 20. Activities for the festival include Mass at 9 a.m. July 19, 5 p.m. July 20 and 10 a.m. July 21. Other activities include church tours, belly dancing lessons, raffle drawings and icon raffle drawings.