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When an event has been held 36 times, it develops a special place in the hearts of a community.
That's the case with the Greek Food Festival presented by Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Steubenville.
The festival always has drawn thousands of visitors from across the Tri-State Area and around the country to the corner of South Fourth and South streets for several days of fun, friendship and, of course, food.
When last year's festival was reduced to a carry-out event, it left a big hole in the region's event calendar.
"I think that last year, when we weren't able to come together with the volunteers that we needed to put it on, the amount of feedback we received from the community was unbelievable -- they expressed a great deal of sadness that it was not happening," said Tony Mougianis, who is co-chairing the event.
That void will be filled this year -- the festival is scheduled to return for a three-day run June 21-23, Mougianis said Wednesday during a media event inside the church's Hellenic Hall. Mougianis and co-chair Tara Dzvonick said they are expecting more than 20,000 people to participate in this year's event.
"What has occurred over the years is that it brings everybody together to celebrate one another," Mougianis said. "I think that is so important in a time when everywhere we look we see bad news, that this is failing or that is failing. It brings our little community together to celebrate one another in good food and good spirit, watching and experiencing the great culture of our Greek heritage. It brings everyone together -- it's a melting pot, and there are a lot of different kinds of people enjoying one another."
An undertaking of that size requires a lot of work from volunteers at the church. When a full-scale festival was last held in 2021, Mougianis explained, they sold more than 9,000 gyros -- that, he reminded, was done in three days, not an entire week.
This year organizers said they have rolled more than 14,000 grape leaves, and, Mougianis added, that delicacy likely will be sold out well before the end of the third day.
"It's a lot of work, and a lot of love, a lot of blood, sweat and tears," Mougianis explained.
And being able to accomplish it all is becoming a bigger challenge.
"Our church community is shrinking, because the people are getting older and our kids aren't coming home," he said. "It's more difficult, but it's never been more rewarding."
Mougianis and Dzvonick are thankful for the help of everyone who volunteers, and the support of the Rev. Yanni Verginis, the pastor at the church.
Also helping to make the festival work is the support of corporate sponsors, including Trinity Health System, Capital Health Care Network and Eastern Gateway Community College.
"Trinity has been a part of this for some time," said Laurie Labishak, director of marketing and communications for Trinity. "We really enjoy partnering with the community -- we are all about community. Without community, none of this would exist."
Her thoughts were shared by Alisa DelGuzzo, the marketing director for Capital Health Care Network, and Christina Wanat, the senior vice president and chief student officer at Eastern Gateway.
"There are so many wonderful events that are happening in downtown Steubenville," Wanat said, "The college is so proud to be a sponsor and to be involved in this. These events bring family and friends to the community, and that's much needed to showcase what we offer downtown. We're just so proud to be involved."
The festival always has been one of those great things that happen downtown, a point not lost on Mayor Jerry Barilla.
"Welcome back -- it's been a long time, and we've missed you," Barilla said. "This church, this event is one of the cornerstones of our downtown. When you are here and witness what goes on at the street level when this event is going on -- people are mingling, there's friendship. It's just a positive image of Steubenville and who we are."
For many years, the Greek festival and the city's Dean Martin Festival overlapped. That's not the case this year -- the Martin event will be held Thursday through next Saturday, one week earlier. He said he hoped the Greek church and the other downtown churches could be open for tours.
"They are so magnificent," Barilla said of the churches. "We should emphasize that -- we are a faith-based community, and we should emphasize that."
Mougianis agreed, pointing to the immigrants who came to work in the mills made churches the centerpieces of their communities.
"This town was built on faith -- faith and courage for a better day," he said. "We feel compelled to carry that tradition, that faith, on.
"We want to give back," he added. "We talk about life -- life isn't about take, it's about paying forward and helping people who are less fortunate, helping others who have need. That's our obligation in life, especially a church. Yes, we have bills to pay, and part of this event helps that, but part of it has to be giving back."
Among the ways that happens is an annual donation to a local group or organization that is presented during the opening ceremonies of the festival. This year's contribution of $1,000 will go to the effort to rebuild the fountain that stands in Fort Steuben Park.
Being able to make a difference in the community -- that remains among the biggest components of the festival.
"It is a lot of work, but it brings us together. To me, that's the most important part -- that we can celebrate one another, and we can have a joyous time together, which we don't get the chance to do as often as we should," he said. "Life is too serious, and this gives us the opportunity to forget about that and to enjoy some camaraderie and some good Greek times.
"We're glad to be back."
(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times.)