Almost 15 years ago, Denny Kougianos met his future wife for the first time at the Greek Festival at The Sts. Mary Magdalene and Markella Greek Orthodox Church.

Kougianos, now the church’s president, smiled at the memory while preparing for the annual festival that kicks off Friday and runs through Sunday at 3714 Dublin Road in Darlington. Visitors can expect traditional Greek food and pastries, dance performances, live Greek music and more during the fundraising event, set for 5 to 10 p.m., Friday, noon to 10 p.m., Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m., Sunday.

Since the early 2000s, the church has hosted a Greek Festival as a way to raise money for the parish.

Last year, the church’s gross sales almost doubled, according to the Rev. Elefterios Plevrakis, also known as Father Terry, giving the church insight into w the food and activities visitors enjoyed most.

“We literally changed our whole trajectory as a church [and our] fundraising capabilities,” he said. “The money we’re bringing in to help, it’s pretty much saved our church.”

In addition to an increase in gross sales, the church has seen a rise in vendors, expanding to 15 this year.

“Everything we do, we give love to it. We’re proud of our culture, we’re proud of our ethnicity, we’re very blessed by God,” Father Terry said. “God has really taken this small, little property and we’re able to make ourselves known out there to everybody. I love that.”

Kougianos and his wife join a large team of volunteer church members who help to stage the festival each year.

“I always tell people when we get together to volunteer for things, if we can’t have a good time doing the work then we’re not doing good work,” he said. “We have to be able to have a good time fellowshipping, while working hard to raise money for the church and everything in our ministries.”

Preparations for such a huge event begin weeks in advance, Kougianos said, with volunteers putting in evening and weekend hours to prepare the food. Volunteers of all ages are encouraged to participate. The older generation spearheads the process and gets involved to help wherever they can as a way to pass down Greek traditions, food and culture that can be shared with others in the community.

Along with food, The Ellada Band from Tarpon Springs, Florida, will perform live music. In addition, a silent auction will be held, and 30-minute tours of the church are available.

Father Terry hopes that those who attend will join him on the dance floor and also feel the hospitality that Greek culture offers.

“The universality that exists within Greek culture is that everybody’s welcome at the dinner table. We will have plenty for you, we will not run out,” he said.

The festival is the church’s biggest fundraising event and allows the congregation to budget for the year. Since the church is a nonprofit, the majority of its money comes from stewardship or fundraising and balancing the two is key, according to Father Terry.

“If the festival is not successful, it hurts us big time,” Father Terry said.

Although the festival is the church’s largest fundraiser, Father Terry and Kougianos said the event is about more than just raising money — it’s about being a community, laughing, eating good food and experiencing the love that Greek culture offers.

“I think we’ve done a good job, the church has done a good job and the people here, continuing that on,” Kougianos said. “I’m honored to continue to work hard to continue making that happen for the church as long as I’m able to do what I can do for them.”

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