Downtown Toledo will host the 40th annual Greek-American Festival on September 10, 11 & 12. Festival Hours are Friday, September 10th 12 Noon to midnight; Saturday, September 11th 12 Noon to midnight; and Sunday, September 12th noon to 8:00 p.m.
We will be open Friday at Noon and admission will be free until 3:00 p.m. All Festival booths will be open.
The Gourmet 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, spanikopita and bread. Gourmet Platters will also be available in the “express line.” Also featured on a 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.
Cooking demonstrations will be conducted on Friday at 7:00 p.m. featuring Dolmathes (grape leaves) with Mary Markham. On Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Stacia Dimit will prepare Shrimp with feta cheese and on Sunday 2:30 p.m. Helen Matthews will prepare Galatobouriko. At 4:00 p.m. George Kamilaris will prepare Moussaka.
Our famous Hellenic Dance Company will perform an outstanding program featuring imported Greek Costumes: The
Ellinopedia (ages 3-6), the 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, tee-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.
Self-guided tours of our Cathedral will be Friday Noon to 8:00 p.m., Saturday Noon to 8:00 p.m., and Sunday 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Live cathedral tour will be conducted in the Cathedral on Friday at 6:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 3:00 p.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 featured on 2 large flat screen televisions at 8:00 p.m. These flat screen TV’s will be raffled off on Sunday.
New this year in our Community Center will 3 lectures on Greek language and culture. On Friday at 8:00 p.m. Roula Manton will discuss “The Role of Women in Greek Society – Past and Present.” On Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Dawn Anagnos will lecture “Yes! You Can Learn Greek.” On Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Dr. John Chrysochoos will discuss “Ikaria, Greece – One of the Celebrated Blue Zones In the World.”
Finally, in recognition of our 40th Anniversary, we will open on Thursday, September 9th from 6:00 p.m. to midnight and we
will feature The East River Drive Band from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. This “Party with the Greeks” will also feature our Taverna, Gyros, and boxed Greek Pastries. Admission will be $5.00.
Adult admission is free on Friday from Noon to 3:00 p.m. Thereafter, $3:00 on Friday and Saturday. Children 12 and under are free when accompanied by a parent/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).
Our website is www.toledogreekfest.com.
