MANSFIELD — Some traditions are measured in years. Others are measured in the people who keep coming back.

For 46 years, Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church has welcomed Mansfield residents and visitors to its annual Greek Festival, where homemade food, dancing and fellowship bring thousands of people together each year.

The festival will run from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Aug. 28 and 29 at 266 W. Third St. 

“People come mostly for the atmosphere and the good food, to tell you the truth,” Tina Theodorou said. “We are known for our great food because everything is homemade.

“We buy nothing.”

Visitors can eat, drink and socialize under a large outdoor tent before heading inside the church hall, where the main food line and other festival activities take place.

Admission is $2, with children 12 and under admitted free.

Homemade food takes center stage

The festival menu will include lamb shanks, roast chicken, rice, green beans, oven potatoes, lemon potatoes and pastitsio, also known as Greek lasagna.

Theodorou said the lamb shanks always sell out, while the rolled grape leaves with egg-lemon sauce remain another favorite.

“We’re going to have a Greek village salad instead of the fancy Greek salad, which means no lettuce,” Theodorou said. “Because when you go to Greece, no salad has lettuce in it.”

Visitors also can enjoy Greek wines, Greek beer and ouzo, along with Greek coffee served in small cups.

The dessert selection will include traditional pastries, including baklava, along with small round honey balls that draw their own following each year.

Parishioners begin preparing for the festival about three months ahead of time and complete whatever work they can in advance.

“It’s a labor of love, really,” Theodorou said. “It’s very tiring work and it’s very tedious, time-consuming.

“But, you know, when people enjoy it, it’s all worthwhile.”

More than a meal

Food is only part of the festival.

A live band will perform on stage, while children of different ages will take part in Greek traditional and island dances. Visitors can join the dancing whether they know the steps or not.

“We don’t care if you don’t know,” Theodorou said. “It’s just about having a good time.”

Rev. Fr. Michael Ellis, parish priest at Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, said the festival raises money for the church but serves a larger purpose.

“Certainly it’s a fundraiser that supports and encourages the church, and we’re not going to deny that that’s something important to us,” Ellis said. “But it’s not the only reason.

“We love the opportunity not only to be able to have the festival, but to invite people into the church, into the community.”

The event also allows the church to share its Greek culture along with its religious and faith traditions.

Ellis will lead church tours every hour during the festival, giving visitors an opportunity to learn about the Orthodox faith, the church and Mansfield.

“I try to do some informative stuff to kind of give people information and just let people experience us as we are,” he said.

The festival has given Ellis years of memories, from watching people dance and eat together to seeing visitors from out of town reconnect with the church.

Some visitors have even fallen in love with the community through the festival and later started attending church, he said.

“I have so many wonderful memories,” Ellis said. “We just had so many different experiences that I’m really – it would be hard for me to pinpoint one.”

A tradition rooted in Mansfield

Ellis said he hopes visitors leave the festival with a sense of how much the church values Mansfield and its residents.

“Mansfield isn’t the largest city in the Midwest, but it’s our city,” Ellis said. “It’s our home.”

The festival provides an opportunity to keep the church’s doors open to the community at a time when cultural and church festivals are becoming less common, he said.

“It’s just a two-day event, but we bring in a lot of people, and it’s in the thousands every year. It’s been in the thousands since I’ve been here for the last 17 years.”

They always turn out in droves. And we love it.

Tina Theodorou

The church community also has grown to include many people who do not have Greek backgrounds, including young families who have joined in helping with the festival.

“Our community has grown a lot and I’m talking about non-Greek origin people,” Theodorou said. 

Theodorou has spent most of her life in the church community. Born in Greece, she came to the United States when she was nine and is now 68. Her parents operated a Greek restaurant on Main Street in Mansfield for about 20 years before retiring.

Theodorou said the church appreciates the community members who return year after year and continue to support the festival.

“We always appreciate the support of the community,” Theodorou said. “They always turn out in droves. And we love it.”

“We put this festival on because people seem to like it and want it,” Ellis said. “And if they want to continue to join us and they continue to support the festival, then we’re going to continue to provide it.”

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