ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) – A local church will bring Greece to Elk Grove over the next few days with its annual Weekend in Greece celebration.
The festival will take place Sept. 28 and 29 at St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church. Parking and entry are free of charge.
Organizer Demos Papadopoulos told the Citizen this will be the church’s 29th year hosting the Greek cultural event since it moved to its location in Laguna.
Weekend in Greece will showcase culture through dance, music and religious art. Organizers said that one of the biggest draws will be the banquet of Greek food on offer.
“We take pride in the food that we serve here. Everything’s cooked onsite. We only buy natural ingredients and healthy (ingredients),” Papadopoulos said.
Some of the dishes include gyros, as well as pastitsio, which is similar to lasagna with macaroni, meat and bechamel sauce. Pork kebabs called souvlaki will be on the grill.
Vegetarian options will be available, such as moussaka, an eggplant casserole, and spanokopita, a spinach pie. Dolmades, stuffed grape leaves, will come with or without meat.
Visitors will also find “Greek fries,” the church’s “own little concoction.” The specialty consists of waffle fries topped with a mix of feta, mizithra and parmesan cheeses.
For dessert, the most popular choice is baklava, made with layers of flaky pastry, often sweetened with honey and filled with nuts.
The Rev. Dino Pappademos said that Weekend in Greece creates an authentic “village atmosphere” at the church.
“We offer people in Elk Grove and Sacramento the opportunity to visit Greece without buying an airplane ticket and packing suitcases and things like that, because it’s very similar, the experience that we have on that weekend to exactly what they do in Greece,” Pappademos said, noting that he recently visited the country.
“On every island we visited at night, same thing: music playing, people dancing, good food there, shops to visit and buy things. And then there’s a church in the background.”
Helios Greek Band will provide music and dancers will perform in traditional dress on both days. Guests can join in with Greek dance lessons.
Church building tours will explain the religious images, or icons, that adorn the walls and altar.
“So people can understand the historic aspect of the church architecture, we do a thing called ‘2,000 Years of Church History in Five Minutes,’” Pappademos said.
Vendors will sell Greek-themed merchandise such as jewelry, wooden toys, pottery and olive oil. Face-painting and henna will be available.
“The thing that I look forward to most during our festival is being able to outreach to the whole community and share the rich and colorful culture of the Greek people,” Pappademos said. “Just about everything that you would find in Greece, you’ll find in our Weekend in Greece. We try to transport all of the culture, including the faith of Greece, here to Elk Grove for just a weekend so that people can experience it.”
All are welcome to attend, Pappademos said. He recommended that newcomers arrive earlier in the day to find the most food and beat the crowds.
St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church is at 9165 Peets St. The festivities will begin at 11 a.m. on Sept. 28 and Sept. 29. For more information, visit saintkatherine.org/foodfestival.
