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International Festival planning meeting scheduled for Sept. 23

Sep 08, 2023 07:19AM ● By Chuck Tashjian

Through the summer, members of Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish have been meeting from among their four different ethnic communities to organize and plan a special International Festival. It is scheduled to be held on Saturday, September 23 from 12 Noon to 7 p.m. on the parish grounds. It will feature foods from around the world, prepared by the cooks of the parish with recipes from their native lands. 

In addition to the food, Ravi Mello, a popular singer from Brazil will be the featured entertainment. He has performed at other parish functions and at other Brazilian events in our area. He is well known and well liked because he is a true performer who connects not only with his Portuguese speaking audience, but with people of all cultures as he sings many styles of music. Also, during the day, John Barrows has agreed to perform favorite and familiar songs from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s on his 12-string guitar. The day’s entertainment is possible by a grant from the local Milford Cultural Council with the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

The food will feature familiar and favorite American treats, including hot dogs and hamburgers, French fries, cotton candy and popcorn. Along with these, the American community is preparing meatball grinders, homemade pizza, and mac’n’cheese bites. The Portuguese community will offer a favorite of grilled linguica and the Brazilian community is preparing their pasteles, a folded pastry shell with ground hamburger or cheese then fried in oil, and caldo de carne, a meat-based broth. The Latin communities from Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala and Puerto Rico are preparing rice, refried beans, macaroni salad, roasted chicken, pulled pork, saffron seasoned rice, stuffed chilis, and other delicacies that have no English counterpart.

The event is open to the public and the parish hopes that families will come and enjoy the day and enjoy food from around the world. There will be a bouncy house for the kids’ entertainment and a 50/50 raffle every hour for those in attendance. Food can be purchased with special tickets from the parish at $1 apiece. The tickets can be purchased after weekend Masses or the parish office before the day of the event at a discount rate of 25 tickets for $20.