Cranston Greek Festival carries on local tradition

Posted 9/4/14

There are many terrific traditions tied to the Cranston Greek Festival, which will begin its 29th running Friday and continue through Sunday on the Church of the Annunciation’s spacious grounds at …

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Cranston Greek Festival carries on local tradition

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There are many terrific traditions tied to the Cranston Greek Festival, which will begin its 29th running Friday and continue through Sunday on the Church of the Annunciation’s spacious grounds at 175 Oaklawn Ave.

There’s the Cranston-based Ocean State Rental Company setting up eight huge canopy tents, as well as tables and chairs for the thousands of people who’ll enjoy the festival’s food, family fun and fellowship.

There’s the religious side – and store – where festival-goers can learn more about the Orthodox Church and purchase a variety of Greek apparel.

There’s the tireless Theofanis Markos, who has chaired the ambitious three-day event since 1996.

There’s Koula Rougas, who was born in Greece and along with Roula Proyous has led the “Baking Brigade” – a volunteer army of sorts – that has prepared almost 40,000 pieces of different Greek pastries that will be sold out by Sunday afternoon.

Harry Bablenis, the Church of the Annunciation’s ageless head chef and another native of Greece, will again lead a volunteer kitchen staff that will make and serve such succulent sandwiches as the gyro and dinners like zouvelekis and roast lamb with all the trimmings.

There’s Jimmy Rengigas and his wife Ekaterini, offering delicious doughboys that have been around since his aunt opened, owned and operated Mrs. Gus’ Doughboys in Warwick’s Oakland Beach back in 1940.

The award-winning Odyssey Dance Troupe – replete with Greek garb from many villages in the old country – led by Dr. Steve Rougas and his mother Koula Rougas, the same lady who spends hours upon hours preparing the pastry, helping direct the dances and also serving as Greek Language School director for over four decades.

Why, though, go through all that effort when weather could wipe out months of work?

“We have one of the largest Greek festivals in New England,” Markos said Sunday while watching workers erect the first of three huge tents. “This is the main fundraiser for our church. And this festival is all made possible by the time and effort of volunteers.”

Although the festival helps support the Church of the Annunciation in many ways, the three-day event, which originally began as a small picnic to celebrate the Feast of the Birth of the Virgin Mary, is held the first weekend of September.

“Food is a central part of our culture,” Koula Rougas said. “We’re honored and thrilled that so many people love our food and pastry. The festival affords us the opportunity to showcase our culture in many different ways, most especially just what the Greek Orthodox Church is all about.”

Back when those picnics were held and the Church of the Annunciation moved from its original Pine Street home in Providence to Oaklawn Avenue, parishioners starting inviting their friends.

“From there, it became a church fundraiser,” Markos explained. “We started advertising and inviting the public around 1970, and we went from a one-day to a two-day festival. By 1985, the festival grew into a three-day event because of the high demand.”

This weekend, more than 200 people will volunteer to make sure festivalgoers enjoy the famous Greek food and pastry while also preserving yet another piece of Cranston’s tradition-rich history.

One of this weekend’s highlights will be the annual festival raffle. People will have a chance to win a new Toyota Corolla or $15,000 cash. Tickets are priced at $50, and only 1,000 tickets will be sold.

Markos also announced that there will be a full-service cash bar, and if people like strong coffee, there’s an iced coffee drink called a frappe that’s a staple at all Greek cafes and has a distinctive layer of foam on top. The hot coffee is made from roasted and finely ground beans, boiled in a small pot and served in an espresso-size cup. Greek wines and beers will also be served.

There will also be plenty of events for children, including face painting, crafts and a bounce house that will be free from noon to 3 p.m. each day.

But the food and pastry will be the focal point, which last year helped Church of the Annunciation set a record for attendance, as upwards of 30,000 people visited Cranston for the three-day event.

And, as Markos emphasized while offering a preview of the food, “All the food and pastry are prepared in the kitchen of our parish hall, from scratch. Every recipe is authentic.”

The food menu will include roasted lamb, pork souvlaki, roasted chicken, pastitsio, baked fish (Friday only) and sandwich specialties like the gyro – a blend of beef and lamb, breadcrumbs and spices filled and served with onions, tomato, and tzatziki sauce in a grilled pita bread.

Loukaniko, grilled Greek sausage, also goes nicely with spanakopita (spinach) pie and tyropita (cheese pie). There will be side offerings of oven-roasted potatoes, rice pilaf, Greek salad, pita bread and even hot dogs and hamburgers.

And the Greek Pastry Shoppe, Koula Rougas noted, “will be well stocked with 11 items that have all been made by our volunteers.”

“We’ll again have four different kinds of Greek cookies,” Rougas said.

The Cranston Greek Festival will again feature free shuttle service. Because officials are anticipating another record crowd, people are urged to park in the Cranston West High School parking lot and board a shuttle to the festival grounds. The shuttle will run continuously.

The festival’s hours will be Friday from 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. Admission is free.

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