“There is something special about fest time in all cultures and
in all of time, joyous celebrations of life are etched in our DNA.”
Joe
Sepielli
This years Augusta Greek Fall Festival started on
Thursday evening, October 11th and ended on Sunday, October 14 at 6 pm. This was the 29th Annual
Greek Festival and we are always excited to see the tents getting set
up for the big event. They had set up the tents a few days prior to
Fest and they set them up right. On Wednesday evening, Michael (the
hurricane) went right over Augusta with winds over 35 mph but whoever
set up the tents did a fantastic job of securing everything. All was
well for the fest when Michael left our area and the tents remained
standing. This Fest is held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
in downtown Augusta at the corner of 10th and Greene
Street.
Joe and I went with our daughter, Jeannine and
all her children on Saturday evening. This is a great event and to
us symbolizes the beginning of fall. We knew the children would enjoy
it and the surely did. In fact, they danced all night.
The Greek Fest is a wonderful celebration with
traditional Greek food and drink. When we go, we have to order a
gyros and feta fries. They are amazing. They also sell Souvaki,
Spanikopita, Baklava, and Greek salads. They also sell wonderful
Greek pastries. The Greek wines and beers are wonderful and makes
for a nice enjoyable evening sharing a nice bottle of wine while
listening to wonderful music. The lines can be long for getting the
food, but it goes pretty fast and gives you a chance to speak with
others in line.
Inside the huge white tent, they set up long
tables with seating to watch the entertainment. That is wonderful
as during the day, you are not in the sun and if there is inclement
weather you are protected. They also set up a nice dancing stage
and a stage for the band and singer. The Greek musicians are amazing
and so talented and got the crowd up and dancing. They encourage
the children to get up and dance as well. There was also a great
Greek dancing troop to watch and loads of audience participation.
The belly dancer was amazing and gave an excellent
performance. The final performance of the night was just beautiful
and there were six ladies on the stage belly dancing. Their outfits
were gorgeous. The belly dancer took time to teach the children how
to dance after each performance. It was so wonderful for the
children. We really enjoyed watching them with their radiant smiles
and being so proud that they figured out a short routine.
Many tents were set up with Greek jewelry,
homemade soaps, beautiful wooden carved items, Chiffon Belly Dance
scarfs, and pastries. There is so much to see and enjoy while you
are here. There is also a bouncy house for the kids to enjoy.
We ran into the Trojan dressed guy who encouraged
the kids to have pictures taken with him. Instead, I took pictures
of him with the kids looking at him from behind me. I guess he was a
little scary for them. But you can see he had kind eyes.
The Greek Orthodox Church gives tours during the
Fest days which are very informative and fun. This church was built
in 1921 and is one of the oldest Greek Orthodox Churches in the south
east US. It is a beautiful building and something to see.
While we were there we ran into lots of friends to
enjoy the night. This is what this event is all about. Great
food, great friends, and a great celebration. I always want to be
Greek when I’m here. Oompa.
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