By Heidi Sutton
Lovers of all things Greek will gather at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption in Port Jefferson this week when the church presents its annual Greek Festival on Thursday, Aug. 25 from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday, Aug. 26 from 5 to 11 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 27 from noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 28 from noon to 10 p.m.
Held rain or shine, the fun event will feature carnival rides, games, a variety of vendors, fireworks, church tours, live Greek music by Asteri Entertainment, dancing and of course, culinary delights.
Authentic mouth-watering foods such as gyros, tiropita (cheese pie), moussaka, souvlaki, and spanakopita (spinach pie) will be served up, along with sweet desserts such as galaktoboureko, koulourakia, baklava and loukoumades, a fried dough pastry favorite.
One of the main attractions at the festival is the over-the-top sweepstakes that the church holds. This year 170 prizes will be awarded from cars — a 2023 Mercedes Benz A-Class is first prize — to a boat, Apple Watch, iPad, cash, Smart TV and more. Tickets for the sweepstakes are $100 each and limited to 3,999 tickets. The drawing will be held on Aug. 28 at 8 p.m.
The event is also an opportunity to see traditional Greek dance performances by the Blue Point Hellenic Dancers on Saturday and the Greek School Dancers on Sunday.
Fireworks will be held on Friday and Saturday nights at 9:30 p.m., weather permitting. Free shuttle buses will pick up attendees from Ward Melville High School, 380 Old Town Road, East Setauket to transport them to festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. Parking is also available at BASF Corporation across the street from the church. Tickets are $2 per person; children under 12 can attend for free.
The Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption is located at 430 Sheep Pasture Road in Port Jefferson. For more information, call the church office at 631-473-0894 or visit www.portjeffgreekfest.com.
