Opa! The longest-running Greek food festival in the nation is returning for its 90th year.
As the Rev. Daniel Triant, head priest at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, pored over newspaper clippings and photos from past festivals, he felt humbled by the ongoing support of the Spokane community.
Many of those photos and clippings items will be included in a new exhibit.
“We’re going to have a memorial wall in the courtyard,” he said. “A museum-style trip through time.”
Additional surprises are in store as the festival celebrates 90 years of authentic Greek food, music, dancing, culture and parea (Greek for “a joyfully connected group of friends” or “tribe”).
“We’ve partnered with Yeti to make 90 exclusive Greek Fest mugs,” Triant said. “They’re $90, and when they’re gone, they’re gone.”
Raffle prizes include Greek dance lessons, a gift basket, and tickets to a dinner in the church hall featuring the original Greek Fest menu.
“We’ll have 25 winners for a dinner for four,” he said.
Winners will be invited to a meal that’s a throwback to the first fundraising dinner hosted by Holy Trinity.
“The original dinner was spaghetti with mizithra cheese, and people ask about it all the time.”
This special meal will feature orzo with kapama (Greek spiced ground beef), Greek green beans, salad, Greek wine and beer, and melomakarono (honey cookies).
In another fun addition, attendees will be invited to participate in traditional Greek dancing.
“We love a good dance party!” Triant said.
On Thursday and Friday, dance teachers will encourage guests to learn a few basic steps and then invite them to dance with them. Public dancing will not be available during young dancers’ performances in the evenings and on Saturday.
Of course, the heart of the festival is the mouthwatering food that lures foodies from across the region.
“Gyros are one of our bestsellers,” he said.
His favorite dish is pastitsio, a Greek take on lasagna. This year, if you’re too stuffed to try some at the festival, you can purchase frozen pans of it inside at the Greek store.
Greek pastries are a big draw. Rich, flaky baklava, loukoumades (Greek donuts), and powdered sugar-covered cookies called kourembiedes delight hungry diners each year.
“I probably eat too many pastries that weekend,” Triant said. “But we don’t just eat to live, we eat to be united with each other.”
Church tours and history are an important part of the annual event. Triant hosts several tours daily, and interest continues to grow.
“There used to be 20 to 30 people per tour, now we have 90 to 100 on average.”
The months leading up to the festival are a busy time at Holy Trinity.
“It takes our whole village to put on this wonderful event,” Triant said. “But that’s what makes it fun. It’s a unifying thing for our parish. We draw closer to each other while meeting all these new people and sharing our culture.”
This year, Greek Fest welcomed Anna Haugen as its new director.
She may be new to the role, but not to the church.
“I was born and raised in Holy Trinity,” she said. “I grew up dancing with my brothers, and my mom ran the dining room when the dinner was in the basement. After I was done dancing, I helped her with that.”
Directing the festival has given her new insight into how many pieces go together to make the event successful.
“It’s wonderful to see all the different aspects,” Haugen said. “My favorite part has been seeing behind the scenes. There are no paid positions; we all just come together.”
Post-COVID, adaptation has proved pivotal. Most of the pastries are no longer prepared at the church, but are purchased from a Greek bakery back East.
“There’s not enough hands to do the labor-intensive baking,” she explained. “But the souvlaki, gyros, tzatziki and loukoumades are all made on site.”
The festival serves as a fundraiser for the church, but as always, a portion of the proceeds will go to a community organization. This year, those funds will directly benefit community members affected by the Spokane Complex fires.
Triant feels the Greek Fest is more relevant than ever.
“We want people to feel the hospitality and to connect with the community,” he said. “It’s so important in this day of technology.”
Haugen expressed excitement about the festival’s future.
“It’s fun to kind of dream of what we can do.”
But the heart of the event will remain unchanged.
“We want to continue to capture the essence of what it means to be Greek, and to help people experience what Greek Orthodox culture is all about,” she said.
Contact Cindy Hval at cindyhval@gmail.com.
