Sarasota church host 31st annual glendi

It's call a glendi -- a Greek word for a party or celebration -- and for three decades it's been drawing people of all nationalities to St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church for four full days of Hellenic culture.

The 31st St. Barbara Greek Festival runs today through Sunday. It aims to let visitors revel in the sights, sounds, aromas, tastes and ambiance of a traditional Greek way of life.

Greek food is a favorite with almost everybody, and the glendi will serve up all the familiar dishes -- gyros, souvlaki, moussaka and baklava -- along with and some more obscure Greek offerings including pastitsio, spanakopita and avgolemono soup.

After you've been sated by the Greek delicacies, the glendi offers a market with jewelry and craft items, Greek folk dancing, kids activities and church tours.

One of the biggest attractions at every year's glendi is a prize drawing.

The first prize is a choice of a Mercedes Benz C300 GLK350, both of which retail in the $40,000 range. Second and third prizes are pretty significant too: $7,500 in cash for second place and a $5,000 travel voucher that you can use to go anywhere in the world. Tickets are $100 and only 1,500 will be sold.

There's free parking at the church, but if the lot there is full you can park at the Trinity Church at 7225 Lockwood Ridge Road, about a mile north of St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, and take a free shuttle.

Details: Feb. 5-8, St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, 7671 Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota. Tickets: $4; children under age 4 free. Information: 941-355-2616, stbarbarafestival.org.

-- Marty Clear

This story was originally published February 5, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Sarasota church host 31st annual glendi ."