WATERTOWN – On Friday and Saturday October 14-15, the St. James Armenian Apostolic Church hosted its 75th fall bazaar, its first since COVID. The event is the church’s main fundraiser for the year.
Those entering the Charles Mosesian Cultural and Youth Center’s Hall of the church could smell the fresh pastries and meat cooked in the kitchen as soon as they walked in. Every step presented a food discovery, ranging from the Sunday school table, with pastries made by Sunday school parents and friends, to the cream khadyif. Homemade cupcakes were provided, mostly appreciated by the kids, who could buy them for $1 and put a variety of toppings on them.
Other organizations represented there included the Armenian Saturday School and the Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA), the Men’s Club, the Women’s Guild, they were part of this bazaar to help the church. They sold their items for two days straight, and the proceeds will all go to the church.
“This is the church’s biggest fundraiser of the year,” volunteer Sandy Raphaelian explained as she and fellow volunteer Carl Boloyan worked. These parishioners were involved in the planning of the event because they liked hosting visitors to immerse them in the Armenian culture in order to keep the church going.
As any Armenian event must almost certainly revolve around food, there was plenty of it. Goods on offer included everything from yalanchi to baked goods, as well as traditional kebabs. Vegetarians and vegans could also have their meals, and there were packs of Armenian alphabet pasta available for purchase.
Other handcrafted items were available on the St. James Artisan table, made by ladies who met on Wednesday evenings to work on their creations. A silent auction was also held, with 80 items displayed at the bazaar, including Armenian paintings, as well as manuscripts from Jerusalem and jewelry.
