Fresno Greek Fest!

The nice thing about Fresno, is that there are lots of events to attend any given month. My absolute favorite Fresno event is this weekend. I love it more than Ice Cream Zoofari, and I really love Ice Cream Zoofari! This weekend is the 54th annual Greek Fest!!! OPA!

(Did you know that the Greek Fest is held at this time of year, because it’s about the same day and night time temperatures as it is in Greece?)

I love, love, love the Greek Fest. (I think I should have married someone Greek! Oh wait, I still can!) 😉 I mostly love the Greek Fest for the food. I started a diet this week, and I’m pretty sure that was a bad idea, for there are lots of goodies to be had! One of my all time favorites are the Greek fries. Greek fries are french fries tossed in lemon, herbs, olive oil and feta cheese. They are so delicious. For reals.

My daughter loves the baklava, and we both love the Loukoumades.
Loukoumades are fried dough balls drenched in nuts and honey. I like to call them Honey Balls because really, they are deliciously sweet balls of honey.

They have lots and lots of food items. This year they are suppose to have a new snow cone, which I can’t wait to try! (I also can’t remember where I saw that, and now I’m unable to find out what it’s called.) Some other favorites are the Gyros (pronounced YEE-ro), Greek Salad, Spanakopita (spinach and feta wrapped in filo, then baked) and Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves). Those are just some of my favorites. I’m looking forward to trying something new this time. Check out the full menu for yourself!

I do love the food at Greek Fest, but it’s not the only thing I love. There are tons of vendors to visit. We have a favorite vendor who sells Russian Nesting Dolls. For the past 2 years my daughter has gotten one of these dolls. Last year I bought my son a nesting frog, and this year he’d like a new nesting animal. I really hope that vendor is back this year. Some of the other vendors sell clothes, jewelry, art and booths filled with random things. There is even a small section for fruits and vegetables, kind of like a mini farmer’s market.

There is also the beauty of the church I love to experience.

Please, if you go, go inside of the church. This picture does not do it justice.

Since this is a family event, there are lots for the kids to do. There is a nice children’s area with water slides, panning for gold and other fun activities. There is even face painting!! You do have to pay for the kids area, but you can also get a wrist band to save some money. Although, to be honest, I think it’s cheaper for my kids to just do the few things they like, instead of getting the wrist band. My son does not like the bouncy water slides. For a child who was born in water (homebirth, but that’s a different post), he sure doesn’t like it very much. Well, at least not in his face. 😉 Anyway, it’s usually hot, so if you take your kids, and if they love water, you might want to bring an extra change of clothes. Or a bathing suit. Or let them dry off, it’ll be hot enough. 😉

Now, if you do bring your kids, you may not want to try the wine…Or maybe you will. There is wine tasting, as well as other alcoholic beverages. I’ve never indulged, but I hear the wine is great. (This year the Greek Fest is teaming up with Uber if you have too much.) If you do have wine, be prepared to dance. Lots of people love to dance. Me, not so much, but others do. One year I went with a date. He tried to get me to dance, but 1-I didn’t have any wine, and 2-I have two left feet. It made for an amazing first date. If you want to see more dancing, check out this video taken on August 15th, at the Clovis Farmer’s Market.

So what do you need to know before going?

First off, here is a schedule of events.
Secondly, they’ve redone some of the outside food tents, so it should be smooth running. There will also be more tents around for added shade.
Thirdly, you may be lucky to see a local celebrity.

Here is some other important information:

Where
St. George Greek Orthodox Church
2219 N Orchard, Fresno (SW corner of First and Clinton)

When
August 22-24, 2014
Friday: 4pm-Midnight
Saturday: 11am-Midnight
Sunday: 11am-6pm

Cost
Children 12 and under, as well as Seniors, are FREE
Adults are $5.00, or $4.00 online

If you go on Saturday or Sunday between 11am-6pm, and take a can of food with you, you get in for FREE. One can will do it, but you could be nice and take a few. Let’s support our local FresYes community!

Finally, follow them on Instagram or Facebook, then post fun pictures you’ve taken and tag them. #fresnogreekfest
Hope to see some of you there!! I’m sure we’ll be going twice, Friday night and Sunday. If you see me (without the banana in my ear), come say hi and we’ll take a selfie! (I’ll probably have something sweet in my hand.) 🙂

OPA!!!

(Check their website for all the important details about parking, the maps and other things I may have left out.)

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FresYes Writing Team

We say “Yes and” to our community, which we love to work and live in. We always speak positively about our growing business, each other and the Fresno community. We are proud to support local businesses, engage in what’s happening in our community and lovingly participate in as many volunteer activities as we can as individuals and as a collective group. We are generous and we are proud to give back.

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