“We’re enjoying the Greek culture,” proclaimed Van Stathis, who has been organizing the gathering since its inception. Stathis said he was involved in similar festivals for the Greek Orthodox churches in Schenectady and Troy, but when he and his wife retired to the area, the Priest asked Stathis to bring some of the good Grecian fun with him. The festival is a fundraiser for the church but has grown into one of the biggest events of the summer in the village.
“Every year we’ve outdone the last year,” Stathis said. “Every dollar goes into the church to keep it going.” The festival is staffed by volunteer parishioners of St.
Georges’ and other Catholic congregations in the area. Thursday was opening day for this year’s event, a relatively low-key cookout on the lawn of the church. Friday and Saturday are the main attraction days, celebrating much more of the Greek culture including an expanded menu, Greek music, arts and crafts, and on Saturday, a special performance by dancers from the St.
George’s Greek Orthodox church in Schenectady. “It’s synonymous with, almost the world,” Stathis said of the Greek culture. “In Athens Greece, that’s where civilization started.
” The feta-fied fun continues from noon-7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
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