St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church is pleased to announce its upcoming 38th annual Middle East Festival to be held on Sunday, September 13, 2015, from Noon to 7:00pm, at 2101 N.E. 162nd Avenue (just North of Halsey).

St. George members started the event in 1972 to celebrate their community’s unique heritage and to share fun, food, and excitement with their neighbors while raising money for church projects. The parish has grown in recent years since moving into their new temple on N.E. 162nd. The parish is ethnically diverse, with many members originating from Syria and Lebanon. Other members are of Egyptian, Palestinian, Jordanian, Ethiopian, or Greek descent. And, many members are converts to Orthodoxy from other Christian denominations.

The festival features booths with a la carte dishes such as succulent barbecued chicken kebabs, delicious gyros, spicy falafel, spinach and meat pies (and other finger foods), salad, wonderful Arabic sweets, and coffee. Seating will be available both outside and inside.

Entertainment will include Middle East dabke (folk dancing), music, and a Children’s Tent with games and activities for the young ones, including a bouncy house. Icons, books and CDs, as well as wonderful baked goods will be offered for sale inside the parish hall. A silent auction will offer many donated items at unbelievably low prices.

KLIROS, a local choral group directed by Tracey Edson, will give two free mini-concerts of Orthodox liturgical music during the afternoon in the church. The concerts, which will include works by Glagolev, Chesnokov, Toensing, Nikolsky and Zakkak, will take place at 2:00pm and 4:00pm. KLIROS is a mixed chorus in Portland established to explore Eastern Orthodox Christian sacred music in the setting of Orthodox services. It is dedicated to professional-level music-making in the service of public worship. Several members of KLIROS also sing with Cappella Romana, a highly acclaimed choral group which has performed for the past several years at our festival.

For those interested, Church tours will be offered periodically throughout the afternoon. Visitors can view our beautiful icons and learn about the Orthodox teaching on icons, as well as the history and faith of the Orthodox church.

There is no charge for admission. Tokens for food items will be available at the door. For more information, visit our website, call (503) 307-8494.

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