Greek Festival

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The Greek Festival, sponsored by the Assumption Orthodox Church in Bayard, has been held every year since the church’s origin in 1926.

It is always held on August 15 (or the first weekend following that date) to commemorate the feast day of the church.

It began as a small picnic for the church parishioners, as several members would donate a few lambs and the church members would gather for a lamb feed.

As the years progressed, members began inviting a few non-Greek friends and a free-will offering helped defray expenses.

The event began to grow, so church members who lived near Bridgeport and Bayard hosted the event on their farms.

In 1998, the Festival moved to its current location at Prairie Winds Community Center in Bridgeport.

The Festival is now a two-day event and always draws hundreds of people to taste authentic Greek foods, listen and dance to Greek music, and sample the Greek culture.

It begins on Saturday night at 5:00 pm with ala-carte food booths and Greek music.

Foods available include calamari (squid), tyropetas (cheese-filled phyllo dough triangles), loukoumathes (Greek donuts), authentic pastries, Greek salad, gyros, souvlakia (lamb or pork kabobs), loukinako (Greek sausage), and beverages.

Tickets can be purchased the night of the event.

On Sunday from 12:00 to 1:30 pm, a traditional Greek dinner is served, including lamb (baked fresh that morning), beef, Greek potatoes, salad, spanakopita (spinach-filled phyllo), feta cheese, a hard roll, karithopita (walnut cake), and a drink.

Meal tickets are available at the door or from any church member. In the afternoon, an auction and a raffle are held.

The event usually ends at about 4:30 pm on Sunday.

Those in attendance at both events are entertained by the church’s youth dance group, the Athenian Dancers, as well as by Greek music and dancing.

A souvenir booth is also open for those who wish to take memories of the weekend home with them.

All proceeds of the Festival are used to support the Assumption Orthodox Church.