Wheeling To Celebrate Grecian, Italian Festivals This Coming Week
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WHEELING - The most festive weekend of the summer season is about to take place in Wheeling.
The Grecian Fest at John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church, starts Wednesday, July 22, and continues through Friday, July 24. It will be set up outside and inside the church located at 2215 Chapline St.
The Undo's Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival, meanwhile, happens Friday, July 24, through Sunday, July 26 at Wheeling's Heritage Port.
- The Grecian Fest returns to being a three-day festival after a stint as a four-day festival, explained organizer Gus Kayafas.
"It's easier on our people, and those who want to come will come during those three days," he said.
The festival will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day.
To start, parishioners at St. John the Divine will welcome the public for tours of its sanctuary each day of Grecian Fest at 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
The food offerings are a major attraction at the festival. Patrons can enjoy the taste of pastisio, mousaka, tiropita, spanakopita, keftethes, grapeleaves, Greek village salad and Yiayia's rice pudding. These traditional dishes prepared by church members are available upstairs at the church.
Outside the church, a tavern and grille area will be set up where visitors will be able to purchase the festival's famous gyro sandwich, as well as wings of Ikaros, tavern fries, calamari, chicken souvlaki and saganaki. For anyone still hungry, a youth tent will be set up where they can purchase a baklava sundae or golden honey dipped Loukoumades.
Cooking demonstrations will take place each day at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Among the instructors is Maria Kayafas - Gus Kayafas' wife - who will be doing a "Fun With Phyllo" class. Barb Landers, meanwhile, will stick to a "This Is How We Roll" theme and roll grape leaves or meatballs.
Greek-style entertainment also is scheduled during the three days. The Agape Dancers will perform in traditional dress each evening starting at 6 p.m., and there will be authentic live Greek and contemporary music daily from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Money generated by the festival benefits the St. John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church pantry and ministry funds, Kayafas explained.
The church pantry serves hot dinners to those who need them on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, and about 200 meals - or 2,400 a year - are provided.
"That's quite a commitment to the community, and we have received so many blessings in return," he said. "It also benefits our ministries both locally and abroad.
"More than anything we just like to share our culture and faith."
The Orthodox Church is "just booming" at the present time, Kayafas said. There are long-term plans to build on and expand the church.
"It's an ancient faith that people are trying to research. It's consistent and non-political in this day and age. It's a consistent way of worshiping."
And not all who belong to the church come from Greek lineage, he added.
"It's very obvious if you look at a cross-section of our congregation," Kayafua said. "We probably have about 100 families, and only about five are Greek families or what we call 'cradle orthodox.'"
Food served at the festival is created by members of those families, and those now known as "converts" to Greek culture, he explained.
"They are now part of the effort," Kayafas continued. "So there is a good sense here of community building, sacrifice and service to your church."
The festival will never be moved off of the church grounds, as the church and its culture are the purpose for the festival, he noted.
"The Father always wants everybody to know that we are at a church, and this is not a secular activity,” Kayafas said. "It's not the Greek Festival of Greater Wheeling. It's the Grecian Fest of St. John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church, and we are a church first and foremost.
"We are mindful of that during everything we do and say at the festival."
- The Undo's Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival actually kicks off Wednesday night with the festival's annual kick off dinner at Undo's West in St. Clairsville. This year's "Italian-American of the Year" at the festival, Robert Contraguerro Jr. of Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration, will be recognized at the event.
Contraguerro's father, Robert Sr., also has been honored as "Italian-American of the Year" at the festival. It is only the second time that a father and son have both received the award, according to festival president Michele Fabbro. The first were Merle Gaudio and Bob Gaudio.
Festival events on the main stage begin at noon Friday with Bellaire Mayor Robert "Moose” Dodrill singing the national anthem.
Musicians slated to take the stage on Friday include Amici from 5:15 to 6:45 PM; Eli Lambie and the Mojo Kings, from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m.; and Linda Ronstandt tribute band Bayou Blue 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Saturday's main stage entertainment includes a Veterans’ Appreciation at 11 a.m.; Ledfoot Lover from 5:15-6:45 p.m.; Ray Massa's Eurorhythms from 7:15-8:30 p.m.; and Silver Springs – A Fleetwood Mac Experience from 9-10:30 p.m. Fireworks start after the music at 10:30 p.m.
On Sunday, there will be a traditional Italian mass on the main stage beginning at 10 a.m.
The Undo's Upper Ohio Valley Italian Festival remains "one of the main things of the summer season" in the Northern Panhandle," Fabbro explained.
"We'll be resurrecting 'Little Italy' this year, and we have a band of local vendors," she said. "We're pretty excited about that."
There will be additional musical entertainment on the "Little Italy" stage, as well as food. Patrons visiting "Little Italy" will find locally made pepperoni rolls there, as well as Italian popcorn. This is a garlic parmesan flavored pop corn colored in green, white and red for the festival.
"Everybody in that area is doing Italian food," Fabbro said.
Other food offerings will include Cousins Maine Lobster, who will be preparing their fish in a garlic parmesan flavor.
Returning favorites will be The Wood Fired Pizza Company and the Sons of Italy’s popular sausage sandwich, as well as fries, lemonade, pastries and Mexican street corn.
New this year will be a foam party for kids at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and on Sunday afternoon.
“I know a lot of people plan their family reunions during this time, especially if they have people from out of town," Fabbro said. "And those people make sure this is the weekend they come so they can stop at the festival. That's really cool. It makes us feel like we're doing something right."
Money generated from the festival benefits the festival's scholarship fund, which provides college scholarships to young students of Italian heritage.