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St. Elpis Greek Orthodox Church is celebrating 115 years of the Greek community in Southside Virginia.A Greek street festival with authentic food, music, and dancing will take place on September 13.The church will also host a homecoming event for parishioners and clergy on September 21.A special exhibit on the history of Greeks in the area will be on display at the Hopewell Library.
St. Elpis Greek Orthodox Church will celebrate the Greek Orthodox community of Southside Virginia with multiple events in September. The celebrations include a Greek festival on Sept. 13 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and a homecoming event on Sept. 21 for parishioners and clergy, which includes a community picnic and special church service honoring Saint Elpis.
“This year St Elpis is celebrating 115 years of Greeks in Southside Virginia, especially those who have fed us for the past century, like the Plakas family who have run restaurants since 1910 in Petersburg. We are also honoring Fotios Melis, who we lost this month,” Alana “Beba” Gavrilis, St. Elpis Greek Orthodox Church parish council secretary and Greek festival chair, said.
All events will be held onsite at the church located at 107 Memorial Avenue in Hopewell. At the Greek Street Fest, there will be Greek music and dancing, authentic Greek food, and Greek wine and beer.
Hopewell: Greek Street Fest menuSouvlaki Kalamaki (grilled skewers of chicken or pork)Souvlaki Tylixto (souvlaki pita wrap, chicken or pork)Spankakopita (handheld phyllo and spinach pie)Tiropita (handheld phyllo and cheese pie)Loukoumades (honey puffs with cinnamon or nutella)Bougatsa (handheld galaktoboureko custard pie with powdered sugar)Baklava Slices (layered dessert with phyllo, walnuts and honey)Greek Wines (red, white, rose, retsina, and non-alcoholic)Mythos Greek beerSeptem Sundays Honey Golden AleWater, Pepsi products
A gyro sandwich special will be available from noon – 2 p.m., according to Gavrilis.
Orthodox Christian: Southside Virginia history, exhibitions
The public is invited to explore a special exhibit featuring artifacts and photographs from the history of Greeks in Southside Virginia at the Hopewell branch of the Appomottax Regional Library System. A curated book display highlighting Greek food, history and culture will be available.
On Sept. 13, St. Elpis Greek Orthodox Church tours will be given every two hours. They begin at 11 a.m. at the church doors. Guided by Dr. Pavlos Michaels, tourists will learn about the architecture, parish and community history, and the construction of the first Hopewell church and the current church.
Gavrilis provided information about the Orthodox Christian community in Southside Virginia.
The Orthodox Christian community was established in Southside Virginia in 1910. Originally centered in Petersburg and consisting of several dozen green grocers, restaurateurs, and one Greek-language newspaper editor, within a decade the community grew to nearly 17,000, drawn to the area by an abundance of factory jobs and rapidly expanding City Point.
Completed in 1917, St. Elpis was the first brick-and-mortar Orthodox Church in the area. The community held weekly church services as early as 1914 in open lots, local theaters and factory school rooms. Congregants were from Greece, Asia Minor, Serbia, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, and Hungary. The church was christened Elpis, meaning “Hope” in Greek, honoring the newly formed city of Hopewell.
In preparation for the commemoration events, St. Elpis Greek Orthodox Church partnered with Historic Hopewell Foundation, Petersburg Museums, Lamb Center for Arts and Healing, Appomattox Regional Library System, Petersburg Public Library, and Hopewell Downtown Partnership. For more information, visit stelpis.va.goarch.org.
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