42nd Annual Greek-American Festival
Downtown Toledo will host the 42nd annual Greek-American Festival on September 7, 8, & 9th. Festival hours are Friday, September 7th 11a.m. to midnight; Saturday, September 8th 12 noon to midnight; and Sunday, September 9th noon to 7p.m.
We will be open Friday at 11a.m. and admission will be free until 3:00p.m. The Food Tent will offer a complete ala carte menu from 11am to 2pm (platters will not be available until 2pm); also gyros and pastries will be available. All other booths will open at 2:00 p.m.
The Food Tent will feature 3 dinner platters for $10.00 each. The Sampler Platter will offer moussaka, spanakopita, tiropitas and dolmathes. The Chicken Platter will have chicken oregano on a bed of rice pilaf, moussaka, pastichio, spanakopita and bread. The Souvlaki Platter will feature pork souvlaki on a bed of rice pilaf, moussaka, pastichio, spanakopita, and bread. Gourmet Platters will also be available in the “express line.” Also featured on an ala carte basis will be souvlaki, shish kabob and rice pilaf, pastichio, mousaka, Greek style green beans, dolmathes, chicken oregano, rice pilaf, Greek salad, and plenty of rice pudding! Our popular lamb shank dinner with rice pilaf and green beans will also be served.
The Fast Food Tent will serve tasty beef and lamb Gyros topped with onions and tzaziki sauce, and chicken Gyros, Greek fries, Greek pizza, and hot dogs. Also new this year, saganaki (flaming cheese) will be served.
Cooking demonstrations will be conducted on Friday at 7:00p.m. featuring Saganaki (flaming cheese) with Becky Skiadas. On Saturday at 6:00p.m., Presbytera Ann Hadgigeorge will prepare tiropitas (cheese pie) and on Sunday at 2:30p.m., Roula Manton will prepare Karithopita (walnut cake). At 4:30p.m. George Kamilaris will prepare pastichio (Greek lasagna).
Our famous Hellenic Dance Company will perform an outstanding program featuring imported Greek costumes. The Ellinopedia (ages 3-6), Asteria (ages 7-9), Olympians (ages 10-13), and the Hellenic Dancers (teens and adults).
The Levendes of Detroit, Michigan will provide Greek and American music Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, Olympus from Cleveland, Ohio will perform Greek and American Techno music.
For the children there will be plenty of ice cream, rides, and entertainment.
Inside our Community Center will be our large “Kafenion” where you can enjoy American and Greek coffee with any of our thousands of delicious pastries: Baklava, Diples, Galaktobouriko, Kourambiethes, Koulourakia, Finikia, Karithopita, Paximathia, Floyeres, and Macaroons. Loukoumathes and baklava ice cream also will be available on the festival grounds. Feta cheese, rice pilaf and other Greek foods will also be for sale.
Also inside our Community Center will be the Boutique, Religious and Cultural Booths featuring icons and books representing the Greek Orthodox Faith, costume jewelry, t-shirts, paintings, and many imported gifts from Greece. Again this year is “Olives, Feta, Phyllo & More” our award winning cookbook featuring over 500 Greek and American recipes by the parishioners of Holy Trinity Cathedral. The book will be available for purchase.
Again this year in our Community Center will be three lectures on Greek language and Culture: Friday at 8 p.m. “Greek Language 101” with Dawn Anagnos; Saturday at 4:30 p.m. “Greek Culture Olympics” and on Sunday 1:30 p.m. Seminarian David Mynihan will present “My Big Fat Greek Orthodox Baptism.”
Self-guided tours of our Cathedral will be Friday noon to 8:00p.m., Saturday noon to 8:00p.m., and Sunday noon to 7:00p.m. Live Cathedral tours will be conducted in the Cathedral with Father Aristotle Damaskos on Friday at 6:00p.m., Saturday at 2:00p.m., and 7:30p.m. and Sunday at 3:00p.m.
The “Taverna” will again feature an outstanding variety of domestic and imported wines and ice cold beer. The Taverna will have a 60’ x 60’ tent for diners in case of rain and football games will be featured on 2 large flat screen televisions. These flat screen TV’s will be raffled off on Sunday at 6 p.m.
Adult admission is free on Friday from 11a.m. to 3:00p.m. Thereafter, $4.00 on Friday and Saturday. Children 12 and under are free when accompanied by a parent or guardian. Sunday is Family Day with all adult admission just $1.00.
The entrances for the festival are at Walnut and Superior Streets and at Summit and Walnut. Parking is available throughout the festival neighborhood and at the Vistula Garage (Superior and Orange Streets).
For further information, please contact George Sarantou, Publicity Chairman at 419-276-9580, 419-245-2029, 419-475-7739, or the Cathedral office at 419-243-9189. Our website is www.toledogreekfest.com.
Press Release Contact Name: George Sarantou
Press Release Contact Email: [email protected]
Organization Name: Holy Trinity Greek Festival
Organization Address: Toledo, OH