Lania Doyon of Lewiston picks up her gyro from Elaine Simones during the 2023 Lewiston-Auburn Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Lewiston. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal file
LEWISTON — The Lewiston-Auburn Greek Festival will return to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church at 155 Hogan Road on Friday and Saturday.
The annual celebration of community in Greek style will feature live music, dancing, food and an agora, open market space, featuring homemade treats and crafts.
“Honestly, what I look forward to the most is the people — those who are coming together and those who are helping bring the festival together,” festival Chairperson Melissa Simones Landry said. “We’re not the biggest parish, so we try to do what we can to make it fun for the community and share.”
Landry said this year’s festival will feature more in its market space with new homemade recipes, pastries, seasonings and spices, olive oils, as well as last year’s popular items such as jewelry, cookbooks and CDs.
“It’s like a mini Greek food market,” Landry said.
Friday’s performer, George Kaminaris, will playing a bouzouki, a traditional Greek lute. Saturday’s activities will feature performers Yanni and Friends and the return of the Sons and Daughters of Alexander the Great, a performance troupe featuring Greek song and dance in traditional attire. The music and performers were a draw last year as community members made stops along the way through the agora and food lines to the dance tent.
Parishioner Jimmy Simones, Landry’s father, is among the scores of volunteers preparing for the event. He said the festival is an opportunity to show neighbors, friends and strangers the wonders of Greek culture and food.
“I’m on the food line and helping with the setup of the event — setting up tables and chairs, getting the food line going, and other things. I’ve been involved with it for some years,” Simones said. As for the food Simones is most looking forward to, he said, “I really enjoy the moussaka, the eggplant casserole. It’s one of my favorites followed by the pastitsio (lasagna) and then the gyro sandwiches. Then there’s baklava, finikia and koulourakia cookies — these are the little delicacies that I enjoy.”
The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the church.
