Anonymous
By Robert Bernstein
The Greek Festival drew a good-sized crowd this past weekend. But it is not what it once was. I remember in the 1980s when there was a wide variety of entertainment on multiple stages. This year there was no schedule posted on line or in handouts at the event. I went both days and only saw one actual performance, a short series of folk dances.
Here are my photos and a video clip.
In the old days I particularly remember belly dancing and, of course, the famous table dance by George Alexiades. What happened to the belly dancing?
This year there was only one stage and mostly it was recorded music and people getting up to dance at times.
Of course there was food which is still the big attraction. But there was less variety than in years gone by. I did not see any lamb or calamari. The souvlaki was pork. Most of the entrees were served in one line and that line was very slow at times. The desserts were a better deal and that line moved a bit faster.
In past years there were combination plates. This year everything was a la carte. We had one souvlaki skewer, one moussaka, four dolmades, a bit of salad, a bit of rice and two baklavas and that cost $36.
The people of Santa Barbara have been loyal to the Greek Festival. Perhaps the Greek Festival organizers could put a bit more effort into giving the community a bit more, as they used to?
