The sights, sounds and smells of Greek food, fun and culture can be found in abundance this weekend at Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church’s Greek Festival, held at 265 West 3rd Street in Mansfield.
What began as a fundraiser to build a new church after a devastating fire more than 30 years ago has grown into an opportunity for the Greek community of Mansfield to expand and to educate. The festival takes place on May 16 from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., May 17 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and May 18 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fr. Michael Ellis of the Greek Orthodox Church said the festival began as a support for the small Greek community of Mansfield. The church now has about 75 families in attendance.
“We’re a community that’s constantly growing but we utilize the festival as an opportunity to introduce ourselves to the community, our culture and our faith, and to help build relationships,” said Ellis.
Ellis said the first sense highlighted when walking into the Greek festival is sound, with a live Greek band performing authentic Greek music and accompanied by dancers. The next sense is smell, followed shortly after by taste thanks to a lavish spread of authentic Greek food all prepared in-house.
“We don’t outsource our cooking, everything is done here by our ladies and our men and we’re very proud of that,” said Ellis. “An important part of Greek culture is sitting together and eating together.”
Yet another important part of Greek culture and the Greek Festival is the authentic Greek pastries, of which Ellis said there would be plenty.
“When I say food I’m assuming one knows Greek pastries are to die for,” he said. “We have a lot of pastries here you won’t easily find, authentic handmade Greek pastries.”
Other attractions at the Greek Festival over the weekend will include vendors selling Greek-specific gifts, tours of the church itself led by Ellis, and the third-annual Greek Fest 5K on Saturday morning. The race begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning for a $20 registration fee, with preregistration available at www.greekorthodoxmansfield.org.
Ellis said 100 percent of proceeds raised at the festival goes into keeping the church a vibrant, healthy part of the community. He added the community should attend the festival in order to “experience life like you’re unable to experience anywhere else in Mansfield.”
“This is the only place in Mansfield to experience the food, the sounds and the sights of Greek heritage and faith,” said Ellis. “To have the authentic experience of being here and hearing the live music and the culture, there’s just so much going on.”
“We’re a community that’s constantly growing but we utilize the festival as an opportunity to introduce ourselves to the community, our culture and our faith, and to help build relationships,” said Ellis.
