SACO — It takes about 23,000 pieces of pastry to prepare for the 15th annual Greek Festival at St. Demetrios Church.
The festival runs Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. St. Demetrios Church is located at 186 Bradley St.
For about the past two months, a dedicated team of 12 to 20 women have been working several hours a day to make sure the pastries are ready, said Helen Spirounias, who is heading the pastry-making effort.
“Everything is home made ”“ from scratch,” she said, and the group uses a book of recipes that has been handed down many generations.
“We follow it almost like a bible,” said Spirounias.
Baklava ”“ phyllo dough layered with walnuts, natural spices and honey syrup ”“ is the most popular pastry, said Spirounias. Other pastries include galatoboureko, a baked custard wrapped in phyllo dough; and finikias, a walnut spiced cookies dipped in honey syrup and topped with walnuts and paxemathia, a biscotti-like cookie, served with Greek coffee.
The women of the church bake the pastries, but the men do the cooking, said Spirounias.
Dinner items include chicken, Greek salad, gyros and the popular spanikopita, which is phyllo dough layered with spinach, feta cheese, herbs and butter.
The food is a big draw, but so is the music, said Tom Carr, one of the event’s organizers.
On Friday night from 6-9 p.m., the Greek band Ta Pethia will be performing. Jim Karvelas will be performing Greek music on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Boston Lykeion Ellinidon Dance Troupe will perform Saturday and Sunday at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m.
The St. Demetrios’ Youth Group Dancers will perform on Friday at 4:30 and 7 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m.
The festival will include tours of the church, and festival-goers can view the church’s iconography, or religious paintings.
A bakaliko, or Greek grocery store, will offer Greek items for sale.
There will also be children’s games and events including face painting.
“It’s a family-based event,” said Carr.
Carr said he expects about 5,000 people will stop by at the festival this weekend.
Proceeds from the event will go toward paying off the mortgage of the church, said event organizer Sam Anagnostis.
Admission and parking are free. There will be shuttle bus service from the Saco Valley Shopping Center and the Saco Community Center from 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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