The Greek Way

Greeks love to eat, dance and be festive, and this weekend you can join the fun even if you’re not Greek.

The Valley Greek Festival will celebrate its 25th anniversary Saturday through Monday with a big bash at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Northridge.

The event was created as a small showcase of Greek culture and has grown tremendously through the years.

Each Memorial Day weekend, the parking lot and grounds surrounding the church are transformed into a traditional Greek town-square festival with continuous live music, costumed dancers representing various parts of the country, a marketplace and lots of food.

Admission is free and proceeds from food and merchandise sales help fund church programs.

There won’t be any of those Greek plate-throwing dances you see in the movies, however. Organizers say it’s far too dangerous with such a large crowd. Last year 50,000 people attended the three-day event, and this year organizers expect an increase.

According to chairman Peter Zaferis, the food is the best part of the festival. Zaferis begins working on the annual event around January.

“We have over 500 volunteers who create more than 35,000 Greek delicacies, and the quality is always incredible,” he said. “Most of the dishes are homemade.”

The highlight of the appetizer list includes saganaki, Greek cheese flamed with brandy and served with pita bread, and locanico, orange-flavored sausage served with feta cheese, olives, bread and lemon wedges.

If you want a full meal, there will be plenty of combos to choose from. The souvlaki (marinated cubes of beef skewered and barbecued) and Greek garlic chicken dishes include rice, stuffed grape leaves, feta cheese in phyllo dough, olives, Greek salad and a dinner roll. All for only $8.50.

Other traditional dishes such as moussaka (baked eggplant, meat and cheese topped with a bechamel sauce), pastitso (Greek lasagna topped with white cheese sauce) and spanakopita (spinach, feta and Romano cheese baked in a crusty dough) will also be available.

The desserts include popular Greek favorites such as baklava (layers of phyllo dough with nuts and mild clove syrup), kourabiethes (a light butter cookie sprinkled with powdered sugar), thiples (rolled dough fried, covered in honey and sprinkled with nuts) and galatoboureko (a custard cooked in phyllo with syrup).

Obviously, this is not the place for dieters. The good news is you can dance off the calories after indulging.

There will be a large dance floor adjacent to the stage where bands will play Greek folk music throughout all three festival days.

Don’t worry if you’ve never juked to Greek tunes. Members of a group called the Golden Greeks will be on hand giving free lessons. Between teaching sessions, the Golden Greeks will perform a variety of “taverna” dances in traditional Greek costume.

“These dances are a big part of our culture,” Zaferis said. “They really help showcase our heritage.”

There will also be lots of shopping at booths set up on the grounds. Among the items for sale will be artifacts and silver jewelry imported from Greece as well as many of the latest Greek musical hits on compact discs and cassettes.

A kids’ section will have games such as miniature golf and basketball, an area to race model cars and a booth where you can win a live goldfish by tossing a table-tennis ball in a small cup.

“That’s one of our most popular games,” Zaferis said. “Through the years, we’ve given away a lot of goldfish.”

* Send Jaunts ideas, allowing at least two weeks’ notice, to staff writer Irene Garcia at The Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Or send e-mail to Irene.Garcia@latimes.com

BE THERE

The Valley Greek Festival at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, 9501 Balboa Blvd., Northridge. Continuous live Greek music, dancers in traditional costumes, lots of food, shopping and a children’s game area. Hours are 1-9 p.m. Saturday-Monday. Admission is free. Information: (818) 886-4040.