The annual Feast of the Assumption Festival was hosted by the Leamington Lebanese Club over this past weekend with people from all over North America making their way to the club and to the Our Lady of Lebanon Shrine.
With crowd expectations in the thousands, the festival began Thursday, August 14 and ran through until Sunday, August 17. The actual Feast of the Assumption of Mother Mary was observed on Friday, August 15.
“It’s a festival. A religious event,” said Lebanese Club President Maurice Raffoul. “We get people from all over the states, all over Ontario and even Quebec.”
Raffoul said they are there for one purpose: to say their prayers, hold Masses and to have a good time.
“We have people who picnic, we have campers come and set up behind the club,” he said. “We have busloads of people who get dropped off. This is an event for everybody, not just Lebanese people.”
On the Lebanese Club grounds and further onto the grounds of the Shrine — which is under the direction of St. Anthony’s Maronite Parish — there were many booths, vendors and activities set up.
The smell of fresh Za’atar, Shawarma, Shishkabob and other Lebanese favourites filled the air. Live music got everyone on their feet and of course thousands visited the shrine to say their prayers to Mother Mary.
“The crowds have been incredible,” said Raffoul Saturday afternoon. “We had the biggest crowd we’ve ever had on the Friday, so we expect Saturday and Sunday to be incredible.”
Raffoul said the spinoff for the town is an added bonus as the motels and hotels have filled up and local restaurants also feel the increase in business.
Among the unique vendors present were gourmet coffee vendor Shaghf Café, olive oil vendor Bonifacio Global Foods and even Leamington’s own iScreams, churning out some cool treats to fight the heat.
Raffoul says that the festival is 100 per cent volunteer based and he’s thrilled with the amount of people — from teens to seniors — who step up each year to help out.
“Nobody gets paid,” he said. “I’ll have well over 50 volunteers helping me here at the club. It’s incredible. We put the call out and they just show up. Every year we know they are just going to show up.”
With the festival now in the rearview mirror, Raffoul says the club will continue with their popular lunch and dinner buffets, karaoke and trivia nights and special events as they arise.
“The Lebanese Club is doing great,” he said. “We have our buffets and people are really enjoying what’s happening,” he said.
Several gourmet coffee drinks and smoothies were available from the Shaghf Café, a vendor at the Feast of the Assumption Festival at the Leamington Lebanese Club on Saturday. Here, Shaghf employee Jawad is preparing a pistachio latte.
SUN photo by Mark Ribble
Thousands made the pilgrimage to the Our Lady of Lebanon Shrine over the course of the weekend. The shrine was dedicated in 1977 and is under the stewardship of St. Anthony’s Maronite Parish.
SUN photo by Mark Ribble
