Cooking Greek food at the Festival, 1990. Photo: Michael Klezaras, Jr.
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Holy Trinity Greek Festival
The seeds for the Greek festival in Wilmington were
sown in 1966, when the Piloptochos Society, a Greek women's
philanthropic organization, held its first Christmas bazaar. It was
like any other Christmas bazaar with crafts, white elephants, and
gifts, except for one difference: Its sampling of Greek pastries
proved to be the bazaar's highlight. The following year, the
Christmas bazaar introduced more pastries and, for the first time,
some Greek food specialties. Within a few years, the Christmas
bazaar was overwhelmed by the public's desire for Greek food.
In the early 1970s, the bazaar was moved to a spring
weekend and involved the entire Greek community, since the bazaar
had grown too large for one organization to operate. In the
mid-1970s, bazaar planners decided to emulate St. Anthony's Italian
festival, and broadened the bazaar into a multi-day festival, with
Greek food, exhibits, carnival games, and live Greek and American
music for dancing. To kick off the 1979 festival, TV personality
George Savalas was invited to the festival and to sing with the
band.
By the early 1980s, the Greek festival had become a
week-long event with food and music every night. The seven days of
operation and five months of preparation were taking its toll on
the community, and attendance was starting to decline. During the
mid-1980s modifications were made that reduced festival days to
four, and extended hours to include lunchtime, which attract city
workers. Entertainment and activities that were not Greek were
eliminated, so that an authentic Greek village festival ambiance
was re-created. Dance exhibitions by the local Terpsechorean
Dancers, with regional costumes from all Greek regions, have become
a popular feature. Greek food, traditions and hospitality remain
the hallmarks of the Holy Trinity Greek Festival.
Documentation includes a short text, photographs and
a newspaper clipping.
Originally submitted by: William V. Roth, Jr., Senator.
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The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.
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