Greek Festival Set for This Weekend

The of Toms River is getting ready to host its 35th annual Greek Festival.

This three-day festival is expected to have more than 10,000 people in attendance according to Sotiris Sergiou, parish council president.

Scheduled to begin Friday at the St. Barbara Community Center and Church Ground located at 2200 Church Road in Toms River, the festival will feature Greek food and pastries, dancing (performances by the award winning GOYA Dance troop), Greek and English music and more.

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The St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church Greek Festival begins at noon Friday, September 23 and ends at 6 p.m. on Sunday, September 25. On Saturday, it will run from noon to midnight and on Sunday it will run from noon to 6 p.m. Admission is a $2 donation.

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The kitchen staff has been working hard to prepare gyros, suvlaki (shish-ka-bobs), moussaka (Greek eggplant), Greek pastries (baklava, Greek cookies, kataifi — a honey type pastry — cheese and spinach pies) and more, Sergiou said.

“All of the Greek pastries are made by Greek women from the parish. They have been doing it for years and they know how to make it,” Father Paul Pappas, the parish priest, said.

Sergiou said that he and about 100 volunteers went out and collected donations from diners and local restaurants. Any food that was not donated was purchased, Sergiou said.

The three dance groups, made up of children of the parish of all ages, practice all year long, once a week for the festivals, according to Pappas. They will wear Greek costumes that came from Greece and will be entertaining all weekend long.

In addition to the food and music, Pappas will be giving church tours.

New to the festival this year will be an extended amount of vendors inside the parish’s new gymnasium.

“Last year we had just a few vendors. This year with the gymnasium being complete, we will have over 15 selling Greek merchandise,” Pappas said.

“We had to prepare the gym. It’s been under construction. We are finishing it up now and will be able to use it in time,” Sergiou said.

Also new this year — there will be double the amount of rides for children.

Pappas encourages attendees to park at , as spaces will be tight. There will be ongoing shuttle buses from the college throughout the weekend and attendees will be able to get to the event faster by taking them as opposed to searching for a parking spot at the festival, Pappas said.

For more information, visit www.stbarbaranj.org.