Just two years ago, the St. Mary of the Assumption Bazaar celebrated its 100th anniversary. Vince Briga explains how it's taken a group of very motivated parishioners to keep that tradition growing.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- A church tradition dating back more than 100 years continued Sunday afternoon. St. Mary of the Assumption Church held its 102nd annual bazaar, highlighting the parish's food, fun and entertainment.

A short time after St. Mary of the Assumption's annual bazaar hit the century mark, it looked like that may have been its final year.

"We were a little bit lax on volunteers and not sure. A lot of our people are getting a little older, so it's harder for us to get people to work," said Renee Cramer, the bazaar co-chairperson.

That's when a group of parishioners decided to band together and form a committee, doing everything in their power to make sure the 100th anniversary wouldn't be their last. They say they're confident about the future of their church.

"Future generations are starting to kick in. We're all getting older unfortunately, so it's good to see some younger people come in and just building upon the base that we have," said Jim Truillo, the bazaar co-coordinator.

While the three-day event has been cut down to two, St. Mary's Church pastor says he's proud to see faith and tradition remaining strong.

"It's nice to see not only what the parish does, but to see all of the people in the neighborhood come through and it just shows that we're alive down here," said Jon Werner, the St. Mary of the Assumption Church pastor.

"It brings a lot of people back to the community and it feels good to see a lot of the kids running around and smiles on people's faces and enjoying some good food and entertainment," said Daniel Svoboda, the bazaar co-coordinator.

Parishioners said they were inspired by the strength of their St. Mary to work hard and make sure their bazaar wouldn't be ending any time soon.

The church estimates more than 2,000 people attended the event this year.