Greek Fest means party time in Palatine
Three words: baklava ice cream.
The summer staple meets the classic Balkan pastry for the first time at the 35th annual Greek Fest, which starts Friday at St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church in Palatine.
More than 10,000 people are expected to attend the three-day celebration of all things Greek.
"Nobody throws a party like the Greeks," said organizer Georgia Kokkinias. "It's always a big hit."
The food, of course, is the big draw with the usual gyros, Grecian chicken, grilled pork kebabs, Greek salad and loukamades (doughnuts). Also back is pastisio, a Greek lasagna that won rave reviews last year as a new dish on the menu. Entrees are $4 to $9.
If you can't stay, at least check out the drive-through, located on church grounds at Roselle and Palatine roads. It's open until 9:30 p.m. each night.
"We've had people pick up 20 meals before who are having people over for a party at their house," Kokkinias said.
Greek Fest's entertainment lineup is packed. Friday features Exit 147 and DJ John Grammatis. Hellas 2000 takes the stage Saturday and Hellenic 5 closes out the fest Sunday. Greek dancers and St. Nectarios' own children's dance troupe also perform.
Parking is limited, so plan on taking a free shuttle from Harper College or Marion Jordan School.
Greek Fest begins at 4 p.m. Friday and 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and runs until midnight. Admission is $2 and free for children 12 and under. For more information, call (847) 358-5170.
On the other side of town: Downtown Palatine will also be teeming with activity this weekend.
The Towne Square Business Association hosts its shelf-clearing sidewalk sale downtown today to Saturday.
Sunday at the Fireman's Memorial parking lot, Brockway and Slade streets. The Music Room will provide entertainment. Zimmer is located at 16 N. Brockway St.
The American Legion Hall, 122 W. Palatine Road, invites the public to a breakfast from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Proceeds support veterans hospitals.
Dobby's World Wide Liquor, 15 S. Brockway St., hosts a series of wine, champagne and spirit tastings today through Sunday. Dobby's will also put on an Australian wine dinner at Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at Emmett's Brewery, 110 N. Brockway St. For more information, call (847) 359-0400.
And finally, the weekly farmers market takes place from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Metra train station parking lot.
Show support with stamps: The Yellow Ribbon Support Group has more than 200 care packages ready to send to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. All they need is some help with the postage.
During Palatine's Fourth of July Parade, which actually takes place July 5, volunteers will be distributing boxes at Wood and Benton streets. They're asking people to take the care packages to the post office and pay the $9.80 shipping fee.
For more information, go to www.yellowribbonsg.org.