THE GREEK FESTIVAL

What began as a small fund-raiser has mushroomed quickly over the years to monumental proportions. Our first festival was held in March, 1973.It was the brainchild offer. Sarris, Dimitris Papaleonardos, SteliosGiannopoulos, and Kosmas Synadinos. They were quickly joined by Nick Collis, Mary , Jameson, Josie Chase, and Evelyn Stevens.

At first mostly foods, music, dancing, a few display rooms, and a gift shop comprised the festival.

Dimitri remembers the entire event took place indoors with the exception of a souvla (lamb on a spit) outside. Some of our young people handed out flyers to passers by in the downtown area in hopes of drumming up some interest. The weather was too cold for anything else outdoors, and our crowds were moderate.

In the days before the festivals numerous smaller fund-raising events were held to help pay off the land at 1-270 and Cleveland Avenue. This exhausted the energies of the energies of the same people too often. The presidents of three organizations were called together, and the suggestion was made that all three should pull their resources once a year with a BIG annual festival. So it was that the memberships of Philoptochos, Big Brothers, and the Greek Olympic Club combined their efforts. The festival involves every member of the church community, and the Greek festival has gained wide recognition all over Central Ohio.

Every festival, with the exception of one, has been a three-day event. After the first festival, the date was moved to a summer weekend so we could take advantage of the warm weather and draw large crowds. The hot weather proved to be oppressive and put too much of a drain on our air conditioning and electrical systems. Thus the date was moved to a weekend in September, where it remained for a few years. In 1987 it was held on Labor Day weekend, where it will remain. Our festival has gained so much publicity over the years that it has inspired other ethnic groups to stage their own festivals.

From an affair that was put on in the church hall by modest number of people, it has expanded to include hundreds of volunteers and now occupies the church hall, Sunday school rooms, the chapel and two huge

tents that cover two parking lots and a roped-off section of Goodale Street. Soon after the was previous festival is over, meetings are scheduled to appoint new chairmen for the coming year. Clearly the biggest money maker for us, the festival grossed $217,000 in 1987.

The festival is really a news making event in Columbus. Each year local TV stations have been generous in giving us free publicity. Visitors by the thousands pour into the festival. the Park and Goodale area to sample our cuisine, try our dances, buy pastries and souvenirs, and peek into our culture to see what it means to be Greek. So far we have kept the event ethnically pure by not diluting the menu with American hotdogs and ice cream. Neither do we give in to the music of the pop culture of the day. We have a Greek band, and they play only Greek songs. We have the best ethnic display in Central Ohio, and that is no doubt why it is so popular with the American public.

Senior and junior dance groups, both directed by Vicki Gust (Constantinides), perform at the festival. Vicki has taken the group to seminars on dance and has invited instructors to come to Columbus to teach new steps. The costumes worn by the senior dance group are an adaptation of a wedding costume worn in a village outside of Thessaloniki.

The festival has grown so large that it is no longer possible for our membership to do all the cooking. We still do a great deal of it ourselves, but we have had to supplement the menu with foods from a supplier. This festival is a great way to involve our own children and put them in touch with their roots. Many of our children are already three generations removed from Greece, and events like this help to keep the ties.