Travel to Greece for a Day and a Couple of Dollars!

In 1978, Greek Orthodox Church decided to open its magnificent collection of Byzantine artwork and its culture to the public in its first Greekfest. After a few years of being confused with the frat houses located just down the road on the University of Tennessee campus, Greekfeat soon became known first throughout East Tennessee and later throughout the South as one of the best places to enjoy Greek culture, shop for authentic Greek jewelry and artwork and eat your weight in Baklava with no regrets.

This year, the Greekfest will be Sept. 29-30. Friday and Saturday hours are 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m.The cost is very minimal. Admission is $3, which goes to charities operated by the church for the community. The admission price gets you plenty of entertainment. Greek bands, genuine oom-pah dances (including dances) and som story telling all combine for a full afternoon. I have precious pictures of my nieces learning Greek dances with authentically-clad and very skilled dancers. The dancers just pull people out of the audience and encourage them to join in the fun.

For me, the real attraction is food. Authentic Grecian cooking is hard to find in East Tennessee. I eat enough during this weekend to last the whole year...and the cost is much less than you'd spend on a good restaurant. A couple can easily dine for $25. A family of four can go all out for less than $40, including a box of pastries to take home for breakfast. Here are some sample prices from this year's menu:
*Leg of Lamb Dinner with all the sides - $11
*Souviaki -$6 ($4 on a stick)
*Gyros (this alone is worth a one-hundred-mile drive) $6
*Spanakopita - $3
*Authentic Greek salad - $3.50

For the non-adventurous toddlers in your life, you'll be glad to know that plain cheese pizzas, chicken-in a-pocket sandwichs and even chicken strips are available. And don't think the Greek fries are just for kids. They're delicious.