By Anna Bedell

The Zorba Greek Festival is not only an annual three-day event but the heartbeat of the local Greek community, and even more so because of the pandemic.

“Ever since then, we get bigger, and people get to know us, not only from the Bristol area but from around towns,” said Olga Bookas, first female president of the church that sponsors the annual event.

“Sometimes they come from Massachusetts and from New York because they really love our food,” Bookas said.

This year the festival offered take-out but did without outdoor seating under the big tent, for obvious reasons having to do with coronavirus.

An elegant woman with a clear vision of what direction she would like the church to in, Bookas, her blue eyes sparkling, talked about her church with obvious pride.

St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, located on Brightwood Rd., Bookas said is a very small community, about 57 paid families, and they are hoping to grow the community, and by the grace of God she has been assigned as the president to help.

The festival was held this past weekend.

As for Bookas, she has been involved with her church and the festival since its inception.

Her late husband Anthony Bookas, who passed away three years ago, started the festival 38 years ago.

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The church community continues to follow his vision, she said.

“It’s Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the food is really excellent. Of course, all the community members contribute to the food,” she said.

The festival, she said, not only contributes to church needs but also helps when it comes to increasing participation.

Bookas said the church has been important to the younger generation, who are coming back again.

“What I’m trying to do is establish some kind of a mentoring program for the younger group, so we don’t lose them,” said Bookas. “I’m trying to attract them back, because after they go to college, you might lose them.”

She said they have a good group of young adults, a dancing group, but this year because of COVID, they didn’t have the tent or any dancers.

Barbara Tomcak has been helping with the dancing and has done a wonderful job, she said. She said they have a good group of young adults.

Tomcak, who came to the U.S. in 1981 as a young child from the Greek island of Rhodes, has been a vital member of the church.  

“I’m actually the community’s Greek folk dance teacher,” said Tomcak. “This is it’s our biggest fundraiser, so without it, it would really put a strain on having the doors open.”

She said the church has a part-time priest; therefore, they have to fundraise to keep the doors open, and to have special holiday services.

“Most of the special church services, we can’t afford to have,” said Tomcak. “So that takes away from the faith and the kids participating, and they want to know.”

Tomcak said the dance group started with 25 kids, because their community was kind of old school, and some would attend Greek school along with Sunday school.

“Just recently, everybody seems to have graduated out of high school so now we’re at about 14,” said Tomcak.  

“But the best thing about it for me was, I had kids that had graduated high school that were still coming back to dance at the festivals,” she said, “and I think until they were about 21, then they’re like, all right we need to stop.”

Throughout the day, community members attending the festival were greeted by church members serving traditional Greek food, which were set up on tables in the community hall located inside the church. 

Angela Bookas, Olga’s daughter and the only vendor in the corner of the community room, was selling homemade jewelry.

“I am a new designer, these are all handmade, I use real genuine leathers that have various kinds of colors,” said Angela. “I also use various kinds of beads, stones like Amazonite, Turquoise, Imperial Jasper really cool stones; Jade and really unique buttons.”

Bookas said this was her first time selling out in public.

“I’ve been selling online just a little bit I have to have a website – it’s Angela Bookas Designs, very easy to remember,” said Angela. “It’s been maybe six or seven months since I started, so again this is my first show.”