Massive cookie bake precedes 2021 St. Peter’s Italian Bazaar
PORTLAND — After the pandemic forced the cancellation of the St. Peter’s Italian Bazaar in 2020, smelling the wafting aroma of Italian cookies on Federal Street in Portland early next week will be a welcome scent.
The annual “cookie bake”draws volunteers, young and old, focused on a shared goal of baking, decorating, and packaging thousands of cookies for the 2021 edition of the bazaar.
Media members are welcome to cover the baking at St. Peter, located in the kitchen and parish hall on 72 Federal Street, on Tuesday, Aug. 10 and Wednesday, Aug. 11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day.
“It’s a way to give back and help our parish stay strong,” said Nancy Taliento-Goodwin, a parishioner at St. Peter Church for over 60 years. “We now have multiple generations working on the cookie bake. It’s a way to have the younger generations start to volunteer. If they volunteer with the church, which they are a part of, then they will look beyond that and volunteer in the community.”
The 2021 St. Peter’s Italian Bazaar is set for Friday, Aug. 13, and Saturday, Aug. 14, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. each day. The bazaar will not be open on Sunday this year. All food booths will be offering their standard menus, with tables set further apart than a typical year. Free gift bags will be available for the children, a kids’ scavenger hunt is planned, and musical guests include the Jim Ciampi Band on Friday and The Carmine Band on Saturday.
The bazaar proudly celebrates the heritage, family, and faith of a special community. It is held in mid-August to commemorate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Feast of Saint Rocco. The bazaar is nearly as old as the parish itself, dating back to 1925, just 14 years after the parish was founded to serve a growing number of Italian immigrants. In 2019, the bazaar set a record for profits, with all proceeds benefitting the church’s building fund.
If you can volunteer before, during, or after the bazaar, contact Ann-Marie at agribby32@gmail.com or Sal at salvatorebonetti@yahoo.com. For more information, call 207-773-7746.