PORTSMOUTH- There are some elements in the community that are simply traditions due to the simple fact they’ve been entertaining families for so long, they have unique offerings for the community to enjoy, and they continue to be one of the best quality programs out there with so many caring hands on deck making it happen.

One of those major Portsmouth-area traditions continues to be the Annual St. Mary International Festival, which is planned is planned to entertain the community once again this month.

The event is a weekend-long celebration of food and community that features dozens of well-crafted auction items, over $4,100 in raffle winnings, a treasure chest raffle valued over $2,000, live music, truck and car shows, and food highlighting Portsmouth Ribber ribs and chicken, German, Italian, Mexican, Asian, Middle Eastern, Appalachian, and more.

The committee, which is composed of 18 people, under the direction of co-chairs Tim Paul and Herman Patrick, and co-chair emeritus Rick Estep, has been meeting since May to pull the many elements together for a successful event. Some volunteers have even been preparing food for months and freezing it to handle the expected demand from the hungry crowds and it will take over 100 volunteers when all said and done to pull off the event.

Proceeds from the event go towards the new recreation center the church built, as well as other discretions the church leadership find to be appropriate, such as the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, church repairs and more. Last year’s funding, according to Paul went towards repairs to the church bell at Saint Marys Cathedral.

The events start Friday, September 20 at 5:30 p.m., with burgers, beer, and blues, the opening of the Chinese auction, and music at 6:30 p.m. by Tom Martin and Chuck Evans.

The event continues Saturday at 8 a.m., with a flea market the inside the recreation center, alongside an antique car, truck, and motorcycle show, vendors and craft booths, kid games and inflatables, a biergarten, and Chinese auction. Additionally, the international food booths will open at 11 a.m. and music will begin at 1 p.m., once again featuring Tom Martin and Chuck Evans. Of the Dell will perform at 5 p.m. and The Settlement will perform at 7 p.m.

Sunday will begin directly after Sunday Mass, which will be held at 10:30 a.m., with food booths open at 11:30 a.m. The flea market, Chinese auction, and tractor show will take place throughout the day. Steve Free and Dakota Free will take the stage at noon and the Detours will take the stage at 2 p.m. The raffle drawing will be held at 4 p.m.

Paul says he is excited for the music, which he is getting assistance with by Rob and Julia Black.

“We’ve had some we’ve had before, but we have some new faces to take the stage; it’s very eclectic, but the acts all look very good,” Paul said. “In fact, we’ve been leaning more on Rob Black and his expertise from running the successful Final Friday event series.”

Paul continued to explain the Chinese auction continues to grow in popularity and other events, such as the craft booths and rummage sale continue to grow in people’s favor. Additionally, the massively successful car show will once again bring out another group of people with different interests.

Overall, the festival is a way for the church to connect with members of the Parish, those interested in joining, or community members simply looking forward to a community essential event that offers good food, free music, and many offerings for entertainment.

“The first thing that is important in this event is fellowship,” Paul said. “The second is the evangelization and being a good example of Catholic Christians. We want to get people to come in, get good food and have fun. The main goal is always fellowship and evangelization. We have Mass and RCIA and other events, but it is also good to do good by hosting community events like this one because people enjoy it and have a great time with their community.”

Once the cleanup is done for what is expected to be another successful year of a local favorite, Estep says the group will all feel very rewarded for their efforts.

“The feeling that we get is 100 percent satisfaction knowing the church made an awesome outreach to the community, to let them know we’re part of the community, and we invite the entire community to show,” Estep said.

The St. Mary International Festival will be September 20, 21, and 22 at 515 Market Street. See times above for starting points. For more information, call 740.354.4551, like the event on Facebook, or visit www.sciotocatholic.org/festival