SACO — St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church’s annual Greek Festival will bring a taste of Greece to Saco this weekend, tempting those who attend with lovingly prepared traditional food.
The festival runs Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. At St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, 186 Bradley St.
No Greek festival is complete without Baklava, the popular Greek pastry made of phyllo dough layered with walnuts, spices and honey syrup, and there will be plenty of it, along with other Greek delicacies, including thiples – a very thin pastry dipped in honey syrup, finikia – a walnut spiced cookie dipped in honey syrup and topped with walnuts and paxemathia – a Greek version of biscotti with sugar and cinnamon.
“We make things in the thousands,” said parishioner Helen Spirounias, who was dipping finikia cookies in honey sauce at the church on a recent morning. Spirounias was part of an assembly line of women preparing trays of the cookies, with each woman conducting a specific task.
“This is all super-organized,” said Patti Jordan, head of pastry operations for the festival. The dedicated team of volunteers prepare about 20,000 or so pastries following time-honored recipes.
“It takes a village,” said Jordan.
The women know their hard work will pay off. Thousands of people come each year to the festival, and the food is a huge draw.
“We never have leftovers,” said Jordan.
On the more savory side, there will be numerous lunch and dinner items, including Greek roasted chicken, stuffed grape leaves, gyros and moussaka – a dish made with layers of eggplant, seasoned ground beef, grated cheese and a special sauce.
The festival will also feature music, dancing performances, church tours, exhibits, a Greek market and a book store.
A shuttle service to the festival will run from the Saco Valley Shopping Center on Spring St. and the Saco Parks and Recreation building on Franklin Street from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be reached at 780-9015 or by email at egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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