Philadelphia, PA – A little slice of Greece on the corner of Hellerman and Bustleton stood tall this past weekend. Blue skies and a white tent made it clear, this was the place to be on Saturday. Evangelismos Greek Orthodox church – Big Fat Greek Festival brought Greece a little closer to the Northeast Philadelphia community. But people came, both from far and near. Some drove 1 or 2 hours to come to the famed festival. Why not? If flying 6000 miles to Greece is too much, fear not. An authentic Greek festival, is right here, alive and doing well.
In the kitchen everything is made from scratch, from your phylo to your sweet pastries. With plenty of Greek immigrant women ready and willing, the ladies of this parish are by far the main reason we cherish this yearly event. But outside, the rest is just as good. Authentic musicians from Greece and a crew of men and woman speaking Greek all the time.
Let’s not forget the incredible dance groups that are formed from the next generation of Hellenes at this church. Two groups of children, ranging from 6 to 16 entertained the crowd for over an hour while they ate, laid back and took in the view. Traditional folk attire was featured by the senior group, while the younger kids wore their colored white shirts and blue pants. Smiling faces and clapping hands got everyone joining in as the dancers spun and joined hands before the crowd.