Photos Provided Parishioners of Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church in Wheeling will play host to the 90th Lebanese Festival this Sunday, Aug. 13, at Oglebay’s Levenson Shelter. A full day of music, entertainment and authentic Lebanese cuisine will help celebrate traditions and culture that have been part of the Ohio Valley for many generations.

WHEELING — Culture and tradition that is deeply rooted in the Ohio Valley returns this weekend for a milestone occasion when the 90th annual Lebanese Festival takes place on Sunday, Aug. 13, at Oglebay Park.

Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church of Wheeling will host the annual event from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday at Oglebay’s Site 1 — the Levenson Shelter.

As always, the Lebanese Festival is open to the public and offers authentic Lebanese food, live music, dancing and fun activities for people of all ages.

Organizers said they are excited to be celebrating a landmark year for the popular annual festival – an Ohio Valley favorite for many decades.

“The 90th year of the Lebanese Festival is an amazing and meaningful commemoration,” said Liz Murad, Lebanese Festival chairperson. “My husband’s family rooted themselves in this area when they came to this country and were very proud to celebrate and pass on the Lebanese culture. It is an amazing culture that I want to make sure continues and is passed to my children and theirs.”

Known to many as The Mahrajan, the Lebanese Festival is the largest fundraiser of the year for the historic church, which is West Virginia’s only Maronite Catholic Church. The first Mahrajan was organized by parishioners in 1933 to raise funds to rebuild the church after it was destroyed by fire in 1932.

Monsignor Bakhos Chidiac, pastor of the church, noted that the festival and the church remain a vibrant part of the community because of the strong foundation of families that have proudly carried on their cultural traditions for decades.

“The Lebanese who emigrated to the United States in the late 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries brought with them their culture and tradition,” Monsignor Chidiac said.

Lebanese people who set roots in the Ohio Valley inherited the culture from their ancestors, and it became part of their lives growing up, according to the monsignor. They continued to pass these traditions down to younger generations, and each year, the festival gives them the opportunity to share highlights from the culture with others in the community who come together to enjoy the celebration.

“To enrich the people of the Valley about other ethnicities and cultures, our ancestors found it better to share our tradition which is our Lebanese food, dance and hospitality,” Chidiac said, noting the landmark year this festival celebrates. “We take pride in being the second oldest event at Oglebay Park since its establishment 92 years ago. We will continue to keep this tradition alive for this generation and the next ones as long as we have people able to serve the thousands who traveled from the four corners of the United States to reminisce their childhood memories when their grandparents used to carry them on their shoulders on the way to the festival.

“The Festival has become part of the joyful memories of our community. They look forward to it every year.”

Prior to the opening of the festival booths, the monsignor will preside over a Maronite Catholic Liturgy at 10 a.m. on the festival grounds. Mass will be celebrated in English, and hymns are chanted in Arabic and Aramaic.

During the festival from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., there will be an array of entertainment. Live Lebanese music will be performed by the David Hakim Ensemble from Cleveland, and dancing will be performed by the Tiffani Ahdia Dance Troupe and the Our Lady of Lebanon Youth Dance Troupe.

There will be a Market Place at the festival where clothing, dry goods, Lebanese spices, specialty items and souvenirs will be available for purchase. The monsignor traveled to Lebanon this year and brought back all kinds of items for the Market Place, organizers said.

Everything from T-shirts to jewelry will also be available. There will be inflatables for children, ice cream, a dance floor and a beer tent for adults.

Of course, everyone’s favorite feature at the Lebanese Festival seems to be the authentic cuisine – and there will be plenty.

Visitors can enjoy festival favorites like kibbee, grilled lamb shish kabob, shawarma, stuffed grape leaves, tabouli, hummus, meat and spinach pies, saj bread, baklava and other Lebanese pastries. Soft drinks, Lebanese wine and other beverages will also be available. All food and beverages will be sold a la carte, while supplies last, and both cash and credit cards will be accepted.

As always, the Lebanese Festival will be held rain or shine. There will be free shuttle service from the parking lot to the festival grounds on Site 1 from noon to 5 p.m. There is no charge for admission or parking. Open-air seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For additional information including event schedules, a food menu and other festival details, visit the website at lebanesefest.org, check out the event’s official Facebook page or call 304-233-1688.

“The Lebanese Festival is a tradition that reflects our deeply rooted faith and our love of family and heritage,” said Susan John Burns, marketing and public relations coordinator for the festival. “The Lebanese Festival is a reunion and a time for family and friends to gather, reminisce and celebrate. Please join us for a day of beautiful music, dancing and great Lebanese food.”