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Campbell church hosts last Greek fest of season
CAMPBELL
Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church’s biannual Greek Fest doesn’t start until next Friday, but the church men and women are already at work preparing food and entertainment.
As early as Tuesday, a group of women went to the church’s community center to begin baking paximathia and other Greek baked goods for the festival.
Irene Psaras, one of the bakers and a member of the church’s council, said dishes have already been cooked and are tucked away in freezers for the event.
Psaras said the baking and preparation are not expected to stop until the church hosts its Greek fest. The event kicks off from 3 to 9 p.m. Sept. 5 and continues from noon to 9 p.m. Sept. 6 and 7 at 401 12th St. in the church’s community center.
Admission and dancing are free, but guests can pay for authentic Greek food, crafts and religious items.
The Rev. Steve Denas said proceeds from the event go back to the church, and the church gets about a third of its income from hosting Greek fests.
“We find that most churches, regardless of denomination, have to have a festival [fundraiser] because of the economics of our area and the country,” he said.
He said the event invites the public to see what Greek heritage looks like.
“I should add that the front door to the heritage is our food,” Father Denas said.
Christine Gaetano, event co-chairwoman, said the Campbell fest will be the last Greek festival in the Youngstown area until winter. She said it is one of three that takes place in Mahoning County.
The church hosts two Greek fests a year: one in summer and one in winter. Gaetano said the winter festival is the larger of the two.
“In the summertime, more people are out of town,” she explained. “Winter time, they’re all home. You get more people, especially with cabin fever in winter. That three-day festival is great during snow.”
Despite being the smaller of the two festivals, she said the summer festival still draws thousands of people from both the church and around Campbell.
“I couldn’t even tell you exact numbers we had in past years,” Gaetano said. “All I know is they come, and the place is pretty crowded. When the lines hit, we’re happy.”