By Heidi Sutton

Lovers of all things Greek will gather at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption in Port Jefferson this weekend when the church hosts its 59th annual Greek Festival on Friday, Aug. 20 from 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 21 from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 22 from noon to 10 p.m. The event will feature carnival rides, a variety of vendors, fireworks, church tours, live music, dancing and of course, traditional culinary delights.

Authentic mouth-watering foods such as gyros, tiropita (cheese pie), 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 200 prizes will be awarded from cars — a 2022 Mercedes Benz GLC 300 W4 is first prize — to a trip to Greece, cash prizes; Xbox; New York Giants tickets; a10-inch iPad; a 24″ Smart TV, gift cards and much more. Tickets for the sweepstakes are $100 each, limited to 3,999 tickets — meaning that one out of 20 will win a prize. The drawing will be held on Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. 

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 Saturday and Sunday only. Parking is also available at BASF Corporation across the street from the church. Admission to the festival is $2 requested donation per person.

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.