MANSFIELD – Fr. Michael Ellis made the claim that the food found at the Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church Festival is the best and town.
Speaking from experience, he’s not wrong. But along with delicious Greek food including savory gyros and sweet baklava comes a fellowship the festival provides that is just as saccharine.
According to Bill Kyrou, a member of the Greek Orthodox Church for 40 years, this is the 32nd year for the Greek Festival.
“We meet a lot of people here, and a ton of people from out of town, even Cleveland and Cincinnati,” Kyrou said. “This is the only fundraiser for the church, and every year it gets better and better.”
Walking into the basement of the Greek Orthodox Church, located at 265 W. Third St. in Mansfield, there’s immediately a sense that you’re among family. People greet each other with hugs and cheek kisses as you take your place in the long food line, and pass people gleefully taking their meals to-go.
The traditional Mediterranean and Greek cuisine is arguably the most popular part of the festival, including gyros, lamb, Greek-style chicken and meatballs. Other popular items include cheese-filled pastries described by one diner as “little bites of Heaven” and fresh Greek salads.
Community-style dining in the church hall allows for an intimacy over a meal that you can’t find at home on the couch. According to Ellis, this is purposeful, as food is a very important part of Greek culture.
Outside, a beer garden and vendors made for a pleasant atmosphere in the warm Sunday afternoon weather. Greek-style jewelry, a candle-making station and face painting kept festival attendees entertained.
Finally, you can’t leave the Greek Festival without visiting the room dedicated to Greek pastries. Ellis touted the Greek cookies and pastry sampler platters, but the most popular is the baklava.
Five-year-old Kolton Kochheiser, face painted with the Batman logo, enjoyed a piece of baklava at the festival, paying no mind to the honey dripping from the pastry onto his fingers. When asked how he enjoyed his dessert, he could only muster one word: “Good.”
It’s a short word, but an accurate description of the three-day Greek Festival tradition: sweet, simple, and dripping with Greek tradition. For more information about the Greek Orthodox Church, visit www.greekorthodoxmansfield.org.
