Bakersfield citizens filled the yard of the St. George Greek Orthodox Church for the 38th annual Greek Food Festival.
Attendees were treated to the scent of Greek food, traditional folk music and fresh air on Sept. 10 and 11.
The crowd enjoyed the atmosphere at the annual fundraiser. “You have some good food, some good music and you can relax. It’s about having a nice time,” said Cecil Parson who was joined by his wife Sadia and son Joe Parson.
“Most people say there’s nothing to do in this town, but there are things to do. There are a lot of fun events and activities. A lot of people don’t look around and take all this stuff in,” said Parson. “We’ve come for the past couple of years. We’re originally from New York; we have a festival like this one back there. It brings a little culture and diversity to this town.”
The festival has become a tradition for many of the attendees, including Bakersfield College professor David Koeth and his family. “My family and I have been coming here for about 20 years now. We love the food,” said Koeth.
BC students were also in attendance. “We came here last year. It was really fun. We like dancing, the food, and it gives me an opportunity to socialize with my friends,” said nursing major Raquel Johnson, 19, who was joined by friends and fellow BC students Olivia Juarez and Indiana Adame.
Attendees were entertained by traditional Greek music and dance. Music was performed by the group Synthesi, comprised of Danny Papakalos and Peter Daneff, the pair played traditional Greek folk music.
The members working the various food and beverage booths were pleased by the interest Bakersfield citizens have shown for the Greek food Festival over the years. “I like that the people support us,” said Magaret Papadimitrakis. “We’re raising money to keep our church going. This is our main fundraiser to pay for our church. Usually the churches in Greece, the government supports them. They’re government funded. Us-we’re independent.”
Entrance to the festival cost $5 per day. Although the St. George’s has not completed counting the number of people who attended the festival or the amount of money raised Genevieve Christensen, of St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church said, “It was a very successful year, it was a nice surprise.”