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Wheeling’s Greek Festival Keeps Getting Better

The 23rd Annual Grecian Food Festival kicks off Wednesday at St. John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church in Wheeling. (Photo Provided)

WHEELING — The parishioners of St. John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church welcome everyone to the 23rd Annual Grecian Food Festival this Wednesday through Saturday, July 24-27.

Festival hours each day will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“Come and connect with our heritage and traditions which are centuries old, yet timeless in substance,” said 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.”

There will be new and returning menu items this year, including “Opa” fries — or the famous tavern fries topped with gyro mezze and tzatziki sauce; the Big Fat Greek Hot Dog — an all-beef deep-fried hot dog topped with tzatziki cucumber sauce, fresh tomatoes, onions and crumbled feta; the salted caramel frappe — traditional Greek iced coffee topped with cold foam and blended with homemade salted caramel.

Real gyros, baklava and a huge menu of authentic Greek cuisine will await visitors at the festival, which offers food and much more. There will be free cooking classes each day of the festival.

Recipes will be demonstrated by Maria Kayafas all four days of the festival at 2 p.m. in the Learning Center. She will share a recipe for Portokalopita — a delicious and super-easy and extremely aromatic Greek dessert, also known as Greek orange phyllo cake.

“Among the Greek culture, there is a tradition of Philotimo, the love of doing good for people,” said Maria Kayafas. “This comes across in our cooking, our desire to show hospitality to guests, neighbors and family as we eagerly prepare Greek dishes to share our love for others. It’s just another way to share our culture.”

Koulourakia, a butter cookie flavored with orange and sometimes anise that are hand-rolled and shaped into fun twisted designs. They traditionally have an egg glaze and are topped with a sprinkling of sesame seeds. They are typically served with a cup of coffee. This recipe will be demonstrated by Barb Landers on all four festival days at 4 p.m. in the second floor Learning Center.

“I attribute my culinary skills to my mother and yiayia,” said Landers. “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.”

The authentic food, electric atmosphere and the contagious hospitality makes this one festival no one in the community will want to miss. There is something for everyone to enjoy, and the parishioners cannot wait to share their faith, food and fun with all.

The festive outdoor setting allows guests to enjoy the famous gyro sandwiches, Greek tavern fries, Wings of Ikaros or chicken kabob. A flaming aged-cheese called Saganaki will be served daily after 4 p.m. The youth of the community prepare golden fried honey puffs, lemonade and baklava sundaes by day and by night.

The Agape Dancers will perform daily the exciting and colorful dances from various regions of Greece to live authentic Greek music provided by an Ohio Valley favorite, “The Greek Company” and Greek DJ George Yamalis.

In addition to outdoor activities, available upstairs in the Hellenic Center Hall, there will be a variety of festival favorites such as roast lamb and chicken, pastitsio, moussaka, spanakopita, dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves) and Greek village salad, along with a plentiful selection of homemade delicious Greek pastries.

Flavorful food items, only authentic to the Greek culture, are being offered. Vendors will also be on hand which will allow guests to bring home a piece of Greece.

However, organizers said their greatest desire is to share the beauty of the Orthodox Christian faith with every single visitor. When visiting the food festival, guests are asked to consider learning more about the Orthodox Christian Church by visiting St. John’s Bookstore, participating in one of the church tours, listening in on one of the youth and young adult choir showcase liturgical chant demonstrations, and of course, conversing with Fr. Demetrios if anyone has any questions about the ancient faith.

The sanctuary will be open at noon, 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. during the festival for guided tours. The Byzantine youth choir will perform daily at 4:45 p.m.

The Taverna and Kafenio (Greek coffee house) will return this year.

“We are excited to bring back this year a festival favorite first introduced in 2021,” Danyelle Dunlevy said. “You don’t want to miss the Kafenio for an iced frappe, our newest salted caramel frappe, baklava cheesecake and ladopsomo, a cinnamon sugar fried bread.”

Again for this year, all food sales will be in-person, with no pre-orders in the upstairs Hellenic Center.

Food can be packaged by the friendly volunteers to take home, or enjoy indoors or in one of the outdoor dining tents.

Follow and like the event on Facebook at “Grecian Festival” for the latest updates and news, or go online and browse www.grecianfest.com for more information or to download a menu. Call 304-232-GYRO (4976) with any questions. The festival is located within the Centre Market Historic District, and there will be plenty of free parking available on Chapline Street and in the lots across from the church.

Starting at $2.99/week.

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