Oom-pah! Greek eats, culture at festival

Havasuvians have the chance to celebrate Greek food and culture at the 12th Greek Food Festival, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., under the London Bridge.
Though food will be the focus of the festival, participants also will enjoy Greek music and dancing, and religious books and goods will be on sale. The festival is sponsored by St. Peter the Aleut Orthodox Christian Church. The Rt. Rev. Benjamin Peterson, bishop of San Francisco and the West for the Orthodox Church of America, will attend the festival, said Rev. Peter Henry. Before his election to the episcopacy in March 2004, the bishop served as a visiting priest to the local congregation.

FOLLOWUP STORY

Bishop presides over Greek food fest

By DIANA PARKER
TODAY’S NEWS-HERALD
During a conversation at Saturday’s Greek Food Festival, the Rt. Rev. Benjamin P e t e r s o n , bishop of the Diocese of the West of the O r t h o d o x Church of
A m e r i c a , heard a beep and pulled a cell phone from the pocket of his long, black vestments. “E-mail,” he said, frowning, and put the phone back in his pocket.
Modern technology helps the bishop manage a travel schedule that takes him nearly every weekend to a different parish in his vast diocese, which extends from Alaska to Arizona. “With computers, that makes me much more mobile,” the bishop said. Before being installed as bishop, Peterson was a visiting priest to Lake Havasu City’s St. Peter the Aleut Orthodox Christian Church, which puts on the festival. He said this was the only parish in his diocese that holds a Greek Festival. “I always say we have the best product but the worst marketing,” Peterson said. “(The festival) is one way people get an opportunity to find out what we’re about.” The church has been active in Lake Havasu City for 29years and now has a full-time priest, Rev. Peter Henry.“We have 63 parishes in the West Diocese, and this is one that is maturing well,” Peterson said. He called the local Orthodox Christian community“a mixture of different kinds of people,” which is typical of the broader church community. He said among parishes in his jurisdiction is a community of cowboys in Colorado and one of surfers in Hawaii.“It’s like America,” he said. You may contact the reporter at dparker@havasunews. com.