WHEELING — Faith, food and fun is coming to Wheeling, as the parishioners of St. John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church announced this year’s 24th-annual Grecian Food Festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. July 23-26.
Indoor dining will be available from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“Authentic food, electric atmosphere and contagious hospitality makes this festival one you will not want to miss this summer,” organizers stated. “The event will offer something for everyone.”
Festive outdoor setting allows guests to enjoy gyro sandwiches, Greek tavern fries, wings of Ikaros or chicken kabobs.
A flaming aged-cheese called saganaki will be served daily after 4 p.m.
Community youth will prepare golden fried honey puffs, lemonade and baklava sundaes.
The Agape Dancers will perform dances from various regions of Greece to live authentic Greek music provided by the Greek Company, daily.
“Come and connect with our heritage and traditions which are centuries old, yet timeless in substance,” stated Gus Kayafas, festival director.
“Our sanctuary tours will inspire you, the Orthodox Christian Bookstore will educate you, the food and drink will entice you and the hospitality will overwhelm you,” he added.
“However, our greatest desire is to share the beauty of our Orthodox Christian faith with every single visitor,” stated Wendy Frankovich, outreach director.”
“When you visit the food festival, please consider learning more about the Orthodox Christian Church,” Frankovich continued. “We welcome you to explore the beauty and depth of our Christian tradition through conversation, resources and heartfelt hospitality at our new outdoor booth called, Ask Us About Our Orthodox Christian Faith.”
Guests can visit the St. John’s Bookstore, featuring a wide selection of Christian books on scripture, church history, theology, children’s literature and more.
Church tours will be offered, where participants can listen in on one of the youth and young adult choir showcases demonstrating byzantine liturgical chant or converse with the the Rev. Demetrios with questions about the ancient Orthodox Christian faith.
The sanctuary will be open at noon, 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. during the festival for guided tours.
The Byzantine choir will perform daily at 4:45 p.m.
The Greek Market will make its return for the second year, and will be located in the upstairs dining hall, run by the ladies’ Philoptochos Chapter.
The market will offer everything from flavorful olive oil and savory marinades to handcrafted jewelry, aprons and unique home décor items.
Returning items will include Opa Fries, a Big Fat Greek Hot Dog and salted caramel frappés.
The popular free cooking classes will be held at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. each day of the festival.
Two different cooking lessons will be offered: Galakto Baklava, a marriage of two traditional Greek desserts, will be demonstrated by Maria Kayafas at 2 p.m. each day of the festival on the second floor of the learning center.
Keftedes, juicy Greek meatballs, will be demonstrated by Barb Landers at 4 p.m. each day of the festival on the second floor of the learning center.
“I attribute my culinary skills to my mother and yiayia,” Landers commented. “My grandparents immigrated from the island of Karpathos, Greece, and taught me many recipes I use today. I look forward to presenting a traditional Greek recipe for those who wish to learn more about Greek culinary culture.”
All food sales will be in-person, with no pre-orders in the upstairs Hellenic Center.
Food can be packaged by volunteers to take home or to enjoy indoors or in one of the outdoor dining tents.
Follow the festival on Facebook at Grecian Festival, for the latest updates and news, or visit grecianfest.com for information or to download a menu.
For questions, call (304) 232- GYRO.
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