Greek Festival This Weekend is Tasty Rite at Summers' End

It started as a church picnic decades ago and now is one of the most anticipated summer festivals in the area, connecting thousands of people with Greek food and culture.

It's the 28th annual Cranston Greek Festival and the feast begins Friday at 5 p.m. and runs all weekend at the Church of the Annunciation, 175 Oaklawn Ave.

Along with baklava, gyro sandwiches, loukaniko, spanakopita and dolomades, there's dancing, religious services every evening, tours of the historic orthodox church on Oaklawn Avenue, face painting, a bouncy house and more.

"Typically we estimate that 15,000 come out over the weekend," said Paul Pliakas, a member of the Greek Festival Committee and one of the marching representatives. "It's very well known in the Cranston community and it's an established rite at the end of the summer."

It's a tradition for local families, regardless of religious affiliation, to come out and mingle at the festival. It's seen as a bookend to summer in addition to a haven for Greek food.

The festival is put on by the Church of the Annunciation and the parish has about 600 families. The priest describes it as 3,000 souls, Pliakas said, and the Greek Orthodox Church has about 250 million followers around the globe.

It's the second-largest Christian communion after the Catholic Church and its presence here dates back more than a century.

People are often surprised to learn that many of the priests in the orthodox church are married and have children. The church is steeped in an iconographic history. Its roots date to the great schism in 1054, which makes it a very old church and explains why the use of icons is so important.

"If you go in the church you see a lot of icons around the altar," Pliakas said. "It's how we tell stories, how we pass down our faith, especially before literacy was a big thing."

The celebration started more than 50 years ago as a church picnic and officially was declared the Cranston Greek Festival 28 years ago. This year, the festival is featuring more activities for children and families with the addition of face painting, crafts and a bouncy house that is free from noon to 3 p.m.

The festival goes on rain or shine and admission is free. 

You can see a printable menu and schedule by visiting the church's Web site, but for an inside look at the festival and preparations, you should follow it on Facebook, where mouth-watering photos of pastries in the making and prior-year festivities will get your stomach growling.

There's ample parking in the neighborhood, but a simpler way is to forget about finding the best spot and take advantage of shuttle buses that run regularly out of the Cranston High School West parking lot off Metropolitan Avenue.

For more details, click here to see the festival's calendar listing on Patch.