By Town Crier Staff Report

Members of the Antiochian Orthodox Church of the Redeemer started the International Festival of Foods in 1982 to raise money for their new church. Now organizers of the 21th annual festival, set for Sept. 7 and 8, hope to raise money to rebuild it.

With the highly-publicized fire that gutted their church in April, festival organizers hope to close in on the $400,000 still needed to rebuild.

The new structure will cost $2.1 million, with insurance covering only $1.5 million. So far, $200,000 in donations have come in.

“We’re still lacking, so we have to keep working,” said Lenore “Lennie” Baba, who was there at the beginning.

The main church may be gutted, but the festival will go on, complete with tasty ethnic foods. Choices range from shish kabobs, kaftas and falafel sandwiches to sweets such as baklava.

Activities will include live music, dancing, crafts, games for kids and a raffle drawing for a trip to Hawaii.

Baba remembered the church setting a $10,000 fund-raising goal for the first festival, considered a modest amount today.

“We ended up raising $14,500,” she said. The festival played a big role in supplying funds toward the construction of the first church, completed in 1985.

The remains of the burned-out structure are scheduled to be removed in November, Baba said, with rebuilding next year.

Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sept. 7, and noon to 8 p.m., Sept. 8. A business lunch is scheduled for Sept. 6.

Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for children 12 and under.

For more information, call 941-1570.