46th Annual Greek Festival May 18, 19 and 20 Inside this issue In 1966, St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church’s OC Greek Fest started as an annual picnic. The Page 2 menu featured Greek-style barbequed chicken grilled by the men, pastries were baked and sold by the La- dies Guild, and the drawing that year featured a portable television! Forty-six years later, the OC Greek Fest Festival Schedule has grown to be a premiere cultural event in Southern California highlighting Greek culture. This year’s fes- Booth Information tival is being held the weekend of May 18th, 19th and 20th at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church Page 3 on the church grounds at 405 N. Dale Street in Anaheim. This annual Greek food festival is produced and operated by the parishioners of St. John. Thousands of volunteer hours are donated to the preparation of the St. John’s Ministries food and pastries, with many recipes having been handed down by founders of the 51-year-old parish. Page 4 Many foods from Greece will be featured in the Courtyard Grill, including souvlaki and lamb dinners, Expansion Update Greek sausage (loukaniko), gyro wrapped in pita and feta fries. In St. John’s Bistro, you will find home- Supporters made tiropita (cheese wrapped in filo dough), spanakopita (spinach and cheese wrapped in filo dough), Page 5 grilled chicken seasoned with Greek spices, and Greek salad. The selection of ever-popular Greek pastries includes, but is not limited to, baklava (walnuts layered in filo, Festival Entertainment soaked in a honeyed syrup) and galactobouriko (creamy egg-rich custard encased in filo, coated in a hon- Page 6 and 7 eyed syrup). The loukoumades booth, located in the Courtyard Grill, is a must-have stop for fans of the deli- Supporters cious pastry puffs dipped in honeyed syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon. Page 8 Greek music is being played live throughout the weekend by talented band SYNTHESI. The beautiful sound of the bouzouki playing will serenade festivalgoers, while exhibitions of traditional Greek folk danc- Festival Map ing are provided by the youth of St. John’s. To kick off the weekend-long celebration, there will be a Happy Plaka Merchant Directory Hour on Friday from 4 to 8 pm. For a schedule of events for the weekend, please turn to Page 2. Page 9 This family-friendly festival includes Zorba’s Kids Zone, a rock climbing wall, rides and amusements. Festival Menu Shop at the Plaka! Over 30 merchants in the outdoor marketplace will offer a tantalizing variety of items for Page 10 sale: jewelry, clothing, household items, artwork, home improvement and Greek novelty items (including greeting cards, lucky eye jewelry and cookbooks). Hi Neighbor Program This year there will be daily drawings throughout each day of the festival, leading up to the Grand Drawing Supporters on Sunday evening. Page 11 The Grand Drawing prize is a two-year lease on a Fiat 500! Other drawing prizes include $1500 cash, an Donors Apple iPad 3, dozens of movie tickets, Angels tickets—and more! The drawing booth is in the courtyard. Greek Culture Page 12 Shuttle Bus Service Schedule from Supporters Buena Park DAILY DRAWINGS Complimentary shuttle bus service to and from the festival Friday, Saturday and grounds is available near the Sears parking lot at the Buena Sunday Park Mall. Directional signs Visit our Drawing Booth will guide you to the designated parking area. for details Buses depart approximately Sunday every 15 minutes throughout each day. Grand Prize: Shuttle start times: 2-year lease on a Fiat Friday, May 18th beginning at 1 pm, Saturday May 19th and Second: Sunday, May 20th beginning at $1,500 Cash 10 am. Third: The last bus from the festival grounds to the Sears parking i Pad lot will depart at 11 pm on Fri- Corporate Sponsors day, Saturday and Sunday. P a g e 2 OCGreekFest.com 2012 OC Greekfest Schedule Welcome and Kalos Orisate! Friday, May 18, 2012 3:00 PM Opening Ceremony On behalf of our entire community, welcome to the 2012 OC Greek Fest! Every year, volunteer members of our community (thank you!) dedicate countless hours to 3:00 PM Live Greek Music & Dancing-Main Stage throw a great glendi (party) for our thousands of guests: you. We invite you to 3:10 PM Vendor and Food Booths open celebrate with us the many sights, sounds and flavors of our ancestral homeland 4:00 PM Happy Hour begins at Taverna OPA! during your visit. Enjoy the authentic Greek food and homemade Greek pastries, stroll through the Plaka (marketplace), or simply relax and be entertained by the 4:55 PM Prize Drawing-Main Stage sounds of traditional Greek music and the dancing on display. We thank you for 5:00 PM Church Tour allowing us to be your host this weekend and we hope you enjoy your stay with us! 5:55 PM Prize Drawing-Main Stage 6:55 PM Prize Drawing -Main Stage Bill Lambropoulos Stacy Sotos Lanyi 7:00 PM Exhibition Folk Dancing by Metamorfosi- Festival Chairman Festival Co-Chairman Main Stage 7:55 PM Prize Drawing-Main Stage 8:00 PM Happy Hour ends Courtyard Grill St John’s Bistro 8:00 PM Church Tour Lamb or Lamb Kabob Dinner Chicken 8:55 PM Prize Drawing-Main Stage Lamb or lamb kabob barbequed to Tender grilled chicken, seasoned with 10:00 PM Festival Closes perfection and served with rice pilaf, sal- oregano and Greek spices. ad, feta cheese and bread. Also available Saturday, May 19, 2012 a la carte. 12:00 PM Festival Opens 12:00 PM Live Greek Music & Dancing-Main Stage Chicken Kabob Dinner Delicious skewers of seasoned grilled 2:00 PM Folk Dancing by Elenika Asteraki- chicken, served with rice pilaf, salad, feta Main Stage cheese and bread. Also served a la carte. 2:55 PM Prize Drawing- Main Stage Gyro Moussaka 3:00 PM Church Tour One of the most popular foods at the OC Layers of ground beef & eggplant, 3:55 PM Prize Drawing-Main Stage Greek Fest. A blend of lamb and beef, the with a béchamel sauce topping. 4:55 PM Prize Drawing-Main Stage gyro includes tomatoes, onions, & tzatzi- 5:30 PM Folk Dancing-Atromiti/Dynami-Main Stage ki sauce (yogurt & cucumber), and is pre- Pastitsio sented in pita bread. 5:55 PM Prize Drawing-Main Stage Deliciously seasoned ground beef, Feta Fries pasta and béchamel sauce baked to 6:00 PM Church Tour perfection Instant hit when introduced in 2007! 6:55 PM Prize Drawing- Main Stage Greek-style fries topped with crumbled Dolmathes-Vegetarian or Beef 7:30 PM Folk Dancing Metamorfosi feta cheese and herbs. Grape leaves stuffed with seasoned 7:55 PM Prize Drawing-Main Stage Souvlaki rice (vegetarian) or with a seasoned beef filling. 8:00 PM Church Tour Delicious skewers of spiced pork or 8:55 PM Prize Drawing-Main Stage chicken on a stick. Served with bread. Tiropita 10:00 PM Festival Closes Selected cheeses between layers of Sunday, May 20, 2012 buttered filo dough. 12:00 PM Festival Opens Spanakopita 12:00 PM Live Greek Music & Dancing-Main Stage Fluffy filo pastry with spinach and 2:00 PM Folk Dancing by Elinika Asterakia cheese filling. 2:55 PM Prize Drawing-Main Stage 3:00 PM Church Tour 3:55 PM Prize Drawing-Main Stage 4:00 PM Folk Dancing by Atromiti/Dynami 5:55 PM Prize Drawing-Main Stage 6:00 PM Church Tour 6:55 PM Prize Drawing-Main Stage Loucanico 7:30 PM Folk Dancing Metamorfosi Greek sausage flavored with lemon juice. 7:55 PM Prize Drawing-Main Stage Calamari 8:00 PM Church Tour A seafood lover’s delight. This deep fried Roasted Potatoes 8:55 PM Grand Prize Drawing-Main Stage Greek delicacy is served with lemon Savory Greek-seasoned oven-roasted wedges. 10:00 PM Festival Closes potatoes. Green Beans OC Greek Fest Publications Beverages: Greek-style green beans, sautéed in is an official publication of tomato sauce and seasonings. Taverna Opa!, St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church Pilaf Beer Wagon & Microbrewery Editor Greek-style rice. The ultimate meeting place to socialize Greek Salad Pennie Contos with friends and family. Tossed salad with feta cheese and Contributing Writers and Illustrators Greek olives. Michael Gallanes Kafenio– Beverage Bar Greek Olives Kyle Michelle Stephens Enjoy a variety of coffees including Kally Attard/Patricia Bangos Greek Coffee, goes great with loukou- Feta Cheese George Stephens mades! Bread Cindy Kezos P a g e 3 Pastoral Message Dear Friends, Welcome to the annual celebration of our Hellenic culture and cuisine. As you know, good food, drink, and fellowship go hand in hand and we hope that you will enjoy the Hellenic experience this weekend. That is, the opportunity to renew old friendships, as well as cre- ate new ones, in a fun filled atmosphere while enjoying our homemade Greek food and pastries. In order to enhance the festive environment, members of our youth group, dressed in traditional costumes, will showcase the various re- gional dances of Greece. As usual, we will be offering our traditional church tours, in order to afford you the opportunity to view our temple, as well as familiarize yourself with our Orthodox faith. We thank you for your continuous support of our parish throughout the years. Fr John Kariotakis Fr Nicholas Andrews Ieratikos Proistamenos Associate Pastor Religious Education Church School For over 50 years, St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church School has been providing Orthodox religious education to school- aged students. It is currently under the direction of Kally Attard and Patricia Bangos.