Thousands converge on Pocatello church for annual Greek Festival
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POCATELLO — Thousands descended on Pocatello Saturday, waiting in line for as long as two hours for the chance to indulge in Greek cuisine and immerse themselves in Greek culture and faith.
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church in Pocatello held its annual Greek Festival during the afternoon. Between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., people from throughout eastern Idaho and beyond took one last swing at celebrating summer while enjoying Greek traditional dancing and of course scarfing down classic Greek dishes.
Treon Maroudan has been a member of the church for decades and has been helping with these sorts of celebrations for just as long.
As he explained to EastIdahoNews.com, Maroudan has been in charge of cooking the leg of lamb for the festival as long as it has been around. And before that, he held the same job during the church’s celebration of Greek Independence Day — on March 25.
“I do it for the church,” he said. “Half of the people that come here I know, you know. They come to see me,” he joked.
According to Maroudan, the church cooked a total of 50 boneless legs of lamb — around 600 pounds of meat — and it was gone in about six hours.
Church members also spent the past few months preparing thousands of pastries, pasta and sides — all of which were nearly finished by the time 6 p.m. rolled around.
But those in attendance weren’t just treated to baklava, pastitsio and spanakopita.
Part of the Greek Festival is touring the 107-year-old church, which features the original stained-glass windows and a wall of original art.
Another attraction available during the Pocatello Greek Festival is brought from Salt Lake City, in the form of the Dionysios Dance Group. The traditional Greek dancers offer four-hour-long performances each year.
Church members told EastIdahoNews.com that they were preparing for something in the vicinity of 7,000 visitors. And, according to Maroudan, they sold approximately $80,000 worth of food.
“It’s nice to have this many people come through that can see our culture, can see our religion,” church member Stephanie Eahis told EastIdahoNews.com.
“It does surprise me that we get thousands of people that come,” church member Greg Painter said. “It’s a chance to share our vision with the community and give back to them.”
While some of the money made during the festival goes to major repairs required by the century-old church, a portion of it is donated by the church to local non-profits.
“Thank you to Pocatello for all the support that you give to us,” Painter said. “We try to return it.”
