Birmingham – The first annual Lebanese Festival – dubbed Leb Fest – took place Wednesday in downtown Birmingham, attracting hundreds of Arabs and non-Arabs alike. The event had specialty food booths that offered visitors a taste of genuine Lebanese cuisine, as well as a variety of musical and dance shows that included Detroit Bellydance, and the Beirut Folk Dancing Troupe. The event had guest appearances from Detroit singer Karen Newman who swooned the crowd, while Lebanese import Usama Baalbaki delighted the audience with a medley of traditional Lebanese patriotic songs as the crowd line danced into the late hours. Also featured was Lebanese American artist Stephen Deeb who exhibited his latest works at a preview party to the festival. Hosted at Shayne Park, Leb Fest 07′ was part of the city’s “In the Park” 25th anniversary summer concert series. A free event to the public, the series was sponsored by The Arab American News and Lebanese American Chamber of Commerce among others.