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Thousands of people are expected to turn out next weekend for a taste of culture and a taste of baklava and souvlaki at St. Michael the Archangel Greek Orthodox Church in Lecanto. The festival is a fundraiser for the church.
By JORGE SANCHEZ, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 18, 2002
LECANTO -- The sights, sounds and aromas of Greek food and culture will be displayed during the upcoming Greek Festival Oct. 25 to 27 at St. Michael the Archangel Greek Orthodox Church.
The festival draws thousands of people each year, lured by the smell coming from an outdoor grill, where meats for gyros and souvlaki are cooked. Other people may prefer to go inside the hall for a home-cooked platter of roast lamb or other traditional dishes.
Now in its 10th year, the festival serves a great menu of traditional Greekentrees, sandwiches and desserts. A band playing bouzouki music and Greek dancers will entertain. During the dancing and music is when people shout out the traditional Greek phrase "Opa! Opa!" That's an exclamation made when people are enjoying dancers or performers. Loosely translated, it means "you go."
The festival is a fundraiser for the church in its drive to build a worship hall on its 10-acre site on State Road 44 between Lecanto and Meadowcrest. The banquet hall, or parish hall, now serves double duty as a church. Organizers hope to reach their goal in about two years.
Dinner entrees include lamb shank, spinach pie, cheese pie, pastitsio, which is a lasagna-style dish, Greek salads and roast chicken. They range from $6 to $7.50, and combination platters are available. A tent outside the hall serves up gyros, shish kebabs and hot dogs, which start at $4.50.
An assortment of Greek pastries makes up the dessert course. The sweets include kourabieths, a traditional wedding cookie, along with paximadie and koulourakia, which are butter cookies. And no Greek festival would be complete without baklava, phyllo dough pastry stuffed with spices, honey and a mixture of almonds, walnuts and pistachios.
The Greek Festival also will have vendors selling jewelry, clothing and religious icons.
The clothing includes sailor's hats, festival dresses, blouses and skirts.
Admission to the festival is $1, and there is plenty of free parking on the grounds, as well as a free shuttle bus service Oct. 26 and 27 from the nearby Seven Rivers Presbyterian Church parking lot.
-- Jorge Sanchez can be reached at 860-7313 or sanchez@sptimes.com.
The 10th annual Greek Festival is Oct. 25 to 27 at St. Michael the Archangel Greek Orthodox Church, 4705 W Gulf to Lake Highway (State Road 44), Lecanto. Admission is $1, and food will be sold on the grounds. Free parking. Call 527-0766.