KOTA KINABALU: Some 4,000 people thronged the St Simon Catholic Church Likas “Bazaar and Food Fair”, the first activity organized to raise funds for the building of the new Catholic Centre.
The main purpose of the bazaar, which was held on Feb 4, was not so much to raise funds as such, but to publicize the need to raise funds for the Catholic Centre and to strengthen the spirit of solidarity without which the various fund-raising activities to follow would not be a united effort.
The organising committee of the bazaar, led by Irene Liew, saw 42 stalls selling an assortment of goodies from homemade food and drinks to games booth as well as karaoke and dedications.
The charity event was the parish’s second community bazaar effort. The first one was organised in 2012 to raise funds for its chapel.
The fair, which started at 10am after the Morning Mass and a lion dance performance in conjunction with the Chinese Lunar New Year, exceeded its original target.
Later, the gala continued with a special performance by Sabah’s very own ‘Elvis Presley’ aka Chris Gomes. His energetic performance mimicking the “king” himself entertained the crowds.
Inside the hall, stalls offering delectable homecooked meals, from the familiar ‘nasi campur’ to laksa and porridge, pickles and sambals, curry dishes and delicious veggie platters received generous support from parishioners and visitors.
Homemade cakes and cookies, dry goods, clothing and shoes were also available. Parish priest Fr Cosmas Lee friends and family’s stall offering mouth-watering BBQ lamb, was one of the best-sellers.
A face-painting corner was also available to make the day even merrier. The corner was especially popular with children as you can see them running and smiling with their faces painted up as lions and tigers.
Just outside the pastor’s office, a health booth was also set up for medical screening. Visitors were able to have their BMI as well as blood pressure checked.
Outside the hall, stalls selling homemade juices were also popular as the day was hot and people were queuing up to grab a cup or two of the delicious cold beverages to quench their thirst.
The games booth was also popular with its bouncy castle and other interesting games. Apart from games, they also sold a selection of toys, which really attracted the little visitors’ attention. Henna drawing was also a crowd-puller at this stall.
Other stalls included Apiwon fishcake stand, a Filipino’s food stall, jumble sale booth, stall selling pickles and acar and traditional KDM ‘tumpung’ drink.
The main event inside the hall was the karaoke and dedications stall, situated on the stage. This section of the bazaar called for visitors to pay for their favourite singers to come up to the stage and entertain for a good cause.
The singer who performed the most were also chosen as the King and Queen of Karaoke. Singers who performed also stood chances of winning hampers in the lucky draws.
Brendan Lee was named the Karaoke King while Elvy John Ansibin was named the Karaoke Queen. Vincent Wong and his wife belted out a harmonious country number.
The highlight of the fun-day was a special performance by Fr Cosmas who belted out his own rendition of a Chinese number in a capella and the crowd went ecstatic.
The biggest sell on that day was a brand new refrigerator that was sold at RM1,000.
As a whole, the Bazaar and Food Fair was a successful one. Without the cooperation from everyone involved, the fundraising would have not been that fantastic. The hard work and commitment they showed was commendable.
Fr Cosmas, in a message, thanked everyone who supported, worked and attended the St Simon Church Likas Bazaar and Food fair.
He added that the people as well as everyone involved enjoyed themselves and God has been pleased.
“May God reward all our hardworking leaders and members from every Ministry. Thanks be to God and to all.”
Everyone, young and old, had so much fun and the contributions will definitely help in the construction of the new Catholic Centre, which is scheduled to be completed by mid-2019. – St Simon Soccom
For more pix on the event, do check out our Facebook Photos page!
St Simon Catholic Church Likas 