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This is Chris Redgrave for Zions Bank Speaking on Business.
Salt Lake City's Greek Festival, starting today, is a tradition dating back more than 70 years. In 1935, the Mothers Organization, a charitable Greek women's society, sponsored a one-day bazaar in the basement of the Greek Orthodox Church in downtown Salt Lake City. It was a small event geared for church members and sold various items like traditional Greek food and handicrafts. By 1976, the event had grown to three days and opened up to the public.
Starting today through Sept. 9, the four-day Salt Lake City Greek Festival is no secret, and it attracts as many as 50,000 visitors each year. Utahns come for the traditional Greek dance, jewelry, vendors but it's the food that draws a big crowd. Money raised at the festival goes to the Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Salt Lake, which sends it to over 20 different local charities. This group really knows how to give back to the community that welcomed its first Greek immigrant over 100 years ago!
The Greek Orthodox Church grew quickly in Utah, as more people moved from Greece and became an important part of Utah's economy. In 1916, in the Greater Salt Lake Area alone, of the 340 businesses owned by members of the Greek community, 190 were in Salt Lake City.
If you're interested in the Greek culture and history in Utah, you can learn about it year round. A museum in the lower level of the Holy Trinity Cathedral is open to the public. The cathedral itself is a work of art, built in the style of Byzantine architecture in 1925.
This year's festival will be held from today through Sept. 9th. The Greek Festival opens at 5 p.m. tonight, and opens at 11 a.m. for the rest of the weekend. The group is even going to give out nightly prizes at 8. Stop by the Cathedral at 279 South and 300 West in Salt Lake City and enjoy one of Utah's largest and oldest ethnic festivals!
For Zions Bank, I'm Chris Redgrave, speaking on business.
