USPS Publication Number 16300
T h is C o m mu n i t y N ewsp a p er is a pu bl ica t ion of E sca m bia / S a n t a Rosa B a r Assoc ia t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icial Ci rcu it
Section A, Page 1
Vol. 18, No. 39
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Greek Fest
Festival season is in full swing in downtown Pensacola, bringing a whole host of events to celebrate the cooling weather and colorful culture of Pensacola. There is no better example than the Pensacola Greek Festival, which offers some of the best food you can get at any festival in town. This year, the Greek Festival is celebrating 59 years of sharing their food, fun and culture to the community Oct. 12 through 14. Coming from humble beginnings, the Greek Festival has grown into one of the most popular events held in downtown each year. “What started as a one-night dinner event has definitely exploded into a wonderful three-day festival weekend,” the Pensacola Greek Festival Communications Director Rebecca Pappas said. “We love bringing a little piece of who we are to the Pensacola community. And I mean, I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love a good gyro!”
October 3, 2018
1 Section, 8 Pages
History and Heritage at the Pensacola Greek Festival By Kaitlyn Peacock
The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, built in 1954 and located on Garden Street, hosts the festival. In 1910, Greek immigrants who settled in Pensacola to enjoy the thriving fishing and diving community first built a church on the corner of Wright and Reus streets. The first Greek Festival was a small luncheon in 1959, created to help raise money for the church. Nowadays, between 20,00 and 30,000 attendees from all over the Gulf Coast are expected at the festival. Pappas said she once met a family from Texas who had planned their entire fall vacation around attending the festival. “People want to be able to partake in some of these other cultures, and while they may not be able to travel abroad, these kind of cultural festivals and communities help to bring that little bit of that nation, and in our case our faith, to that community,” Pappas said. “It really highlights that nation and that culture and who we are.
We love being able to bring a little piece of Greece to Pensacola.” While the food is most memorable, and certainly worthy of the spotlight, the festival will also include events such as dancers, church tours and an open dance floor for people to get a chance to learn traditional Greek dances or just have a bit of fun. Preparations for the festival are underway right now, and have been for the better part of a year. Pappas explained that the festival takes a small army to plan and prepare, and that they are already looking toward the next festival. “This is more than a year in advance,” Pappas said. “Within a month of this festival ending, we will be planning the 60th festival. It’s a lot of prep work, a lot of behind-the-scenes work.” When asked what she is most looking forward to, Pappas jokingly said the Monday after the festival. In truth, she is most looking forward to sharing a fun and wonderful experience with the community. “We love being able to share this with the Pensacola community and be able to share who we are and a little piece of our community. We always invite people to come and experience a church tour, get out on the dance floor, try some food. It’s really a wonderful opportunity for people to learn a little bit more about the Greek community, but also to just have a really fun time with us. We are a very lively bunch! We love to have a good time. We love to party with everyone. So we want everyone to come party with us. That’s all we ever hope to have, is just a really fun party with our friends and family.”
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Kourambiedes (Powdered Sugar Cookies) Recipe courtesy of Pensacola Greek Festival These buttery cookies are traditionally served at Christmas, and are given to guests at weddings and baptisms. They melt in the mouth. Handle gently, as they are fragile and the sugar flies everywhere. ¾ lb unsalted butter 1 egg 2/3 cup finely chopped almonds 3 ½ tsp baking powder 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour sifted ½ cup powdered sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract 1 ½ lbs powdered sugar Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place rack in upper third of oven. Soften butter to room temperature and beat with ½ cup powdered sugar until creamy and white. Add egg and beat with electric mixer for five minutes. Add vanilla and optionally ¼ cup of brandy. Sift flour and baking soda together and add to butter mixture. Add nuts and work dough by hand. If needed add more flour to be able to mold cookies by hand (dough should not stick to sides of bowl). Cover and refrigerate the dough until firm enough to shape into balls, about 1 hour. Pull off pieces of the dough and roll between your palms into generous 1-inch balls or into a crescent shapes. Space about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly brown on top and well browned on the bottom (14 to 18 minutes). Cool on racks for five minutes. Place waxed paper on work surface and sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar. Gently place hot cookies on top of sugar and sift additional powdered sugar on top of cookies to cover completely. Allow to cool before serving. Can be frozen but may require a new application of sugar for serving after freezing.
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