BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN)- The Saint John’s Summer Greek Food Festival is making its return this weekend in Boardman, but there are some changes this year.
Everything is set up outside for the festival, also known as the Glendi, Thursday morning. This year, organizers have expanded the festival to Thursday.
The outdoor menu for Thursday will be available from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. with local favorites.
The full festival starts Friday.
WKBN spoke with the co-chair Anthony Orologas who said it’s an important way for the church to share its heritage.
“We show our food, you know, everybody loves Greek food, our culture through our music and our dance,” Orologas said.
This year, the event also features live Greek music and a traditional dance group.
“We will be performing a variety of four different dances on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so the children are very excited to display their efforts,” Orologos said.
In addition to Thursday’s outdoor menu day, the full festival runs from noon to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from noon-8 p.m. on Sunday.
The Glendi is also a great time to connect the youth with the rich traditions of Greek culture.
New this year, are performances by the St. John’s Youth Dance Group. The dance troupe has been practicing since June and this noon, John Maillis shares why he loves dancing!
“Well I just like to dance. It’s oh so fun to do. It’s also a family tradition. I also do it for the big man upstairs,” Maillis said.
Well, there’s no higher calling than that! You can see the dancers tomorrow at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. or Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. The kids are very excited to show off their fancy footwork.
