photo by: Gage Vota

Cedars Mediterranean Lebanese Cuisine co-owner Rena Nasar serves zaatar bread Sunday during the Mahrajan Lebanese Festival Sunday at Oglebay Park Resort.

WHEELING — From belly dancing to authentic Lebanese cuisine, Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church continued its cherished tradition Sunday that’s nearly a century old.

The Center Wheeling church celebrated its 92nd Lebanese Festival, also known as Mahrajan, at Oglebay Park Resort’s Levenson Shelter. Festival committee chairperson Liz Murad has spent the past decade working with the church to make the festival possible and said the event is a great way to celebrate Lebanese culture with music, food, and dance.

“We’ve got plenty of delicious, ethnic food and we’ve got dancing going on, children’s games, a marketplace to show and just a little bit of everything for everybody,” Murad said.

Murad noted that the first festival was held in 1933 to raise money after the church was destroyed by fire the previous year.

“They started the festival for a fundraiser to rebuild the church but now it’s just a tradition,” she said. “It’s like a big family reunion for everybody to come back.”

Murad also believes it’s an opportunity for attendees to appreciate what their ancestors have done by creating not only the festival nearly 100 years ago but also the determination of rebuilding the church when it burnt down.

photo by: Gage Vota

Athena Shimmy the belly dancer showcases her talent at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church’s 92nd annual Mahrajan Lebanese Festival at Oglebay Park Resort’s Levenson Shelter.

Shish kababs, shawarma, stuffed grape leaves, tabouli, hummus, meat and spinach pies, Lebanese pastries and zaatar bread were all for sale to enjoy while listening to music, watching Athena Shimmy the belly dancer perform and exploring a marketplace selling various items such as clothing, can koozies, dry goods, Lebanese spices, specialty items and souvenirs from Lebanon.

Entertainment for all ages included inflatables for the kids to enjoy, with beer, wine, poker and Hi-Lo tables for the adults.

Cedars Mediterranean Lebanese Cuisine owners and operators Rena and Tony Nasar were hard at work selling zaatar bread — a soft flatbread topped with seasoned olive oil paste and baked like a pizza — to festival attendees.

Rena said her family is a member of the church and vends at the festivals every year.

Murad added she was thankful for the clear skies so attendees had no issues dealing with any rain.

She said that the church receives several emails, letters, and phone calls from people that are very excited about the festival all year long.

“We get calls from people, even from out of town that are very, very excited and looking forward to coming to our festival,” Murad said.

She added that she believes the festival has been able to blossom throughout the years due to the sense of community the festival provides as well as the good food.