Atco’s Christ the Redeemer Church will host a barbecue on Aug. 13 open to all members of the community, with businesses from surrounding towns such as Berlin and Sicklerville providing services.
Bringhurst Meats in Berlin will provide and grill chicken for guests. The local ShopRite has long been a major sponsor of parish events and will donate snacks and supplies. Sicklerville’s Florentino and Stella’s are donating potatoes, onions and corn.
Rita Hanna, pastoral associate for parish administration at the church, looks forward to the event after a two-year COVID hiatus. She and other parishioners expect a turnout of about 200 people.
“We organize this event to celebrate the Assumption of Mary, which is on Aug. 15 …” she explained. “We are welcoming anyone from other townships; all of our events are like that. The barbecue is an event that has been brought back after many years due to change in personnel and [COVID] issues.”
Those interested in attending can purchase tickets for $15 a person, and all children under 8 are free. Tickets are available at the parish office and in church after all masses. The last day for ticket sales is Aug. 7.
“We’re getting really good participation right now and are thrilled to be able to bring this back,” said Hanna. “We’re very excited about it. [We know other] people are, too, just parishioners and people in town that have attended [in the past].
“It’s just a great community event.”
In addition to food, the parish will set up a beer garden with the help of Brotherton Brewery in Atco, with a DJ/music set-up from the Sands family of Berlin.
Joanie Walsh, a parish committeewoman who is assisting with marketing and recently relocated from Pennsylvania will be helping with the event.
“I’m really excited for this event and hoping that with a good turnout, more people will want to attend other things we host [in the future],” said Walsh, who is also involved in fundraising for the church.
For more information, visit the church website.
