Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1478944
14 UCW SEPTEMBER 14 - 20, 2022 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM ASHLEY SHIRLEY, Staff Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200 Fayetteville Greek Festival returns better than ever by R. ELGIN ZEIBER EVENTS Cumberland County Public Library is set to host its first Local Author Showcase since 2019 on Satur- day, Sept. 17 from noon until 2 p.m. e event at Headquarter's Library allows local writers to showcase their work to the community. Held annually since 2008, the Local Author Show- case, sponsored by the Friends of the CCPL brings recognition to the accomplishments of local authors wanting to share their work. is year's showcase will feature 23 authors rep- resenting fantasy/sci-fi, poetry, memoir, biography, Christian literature, self-help, conflict-management and YA literature. e criteria for submission are simple: fill out an application, be local to the Sandhills region, and books must be published traditionally or independently (which includes self- publication). While not all books are accepted, in a push to support local writers, the library makes an extraordinary effort to approve as many applications as possible. "It can be difficult for self-published and first-time authors to compete with larger publishers, and the showcase gives them a platform to reach readers they may never have reached before. We want our readers to connect with the writers of their commu- nity while discovering their next good — or great — read," Adult Services Librarian, Casey Ausborn told Up & Coming Weekly. e two-hour event is yet another way the Cumberland County Public Library strives to bring relevant and engaging events, opportunities and activities to the citizens it serves. "A common phrase in libraries is, 'every reader their book; every book its reader,'" Ausborn shared. "We hope to connect readers with stories and writ- ers that will impact them, whether through seeing themselves represented in a story, or successful au- thor, or through the sharing of thoughts and ideas." Another avenue between local authors and their potential fan base is the circulation of their books. e Headquarters Branch also houses the library system's Local Author Collection, which is entirely populated by North Carolina writers. e uncata- loged collection of books is available year-round and works on an honor system for check-out. "Before the book is placed on the shelf, a review card is placed in it," Ausborn explained. "Patrons ... are encouraged to fill out the card and return it with the book. e library may elect to purchase a copy of a book for inclusion in the circulating collection if it receives positive reviews." is practice is an excellent opportunity for patrons to directly contribute to the thoughts, ideas and stories circulated within the library and out into the greater community. In addition to providing a platform for local authors, the event will also provide resources for aspiring authors. Two writing groups, Off the Page and Write On, Right Now, will be onsite during the event to offer resources for those just starting their writing journey. Ausborn and CCPL hope the event encourages everyone to come out and support their friends, neighbors and family members as they courageous- ly push their creations out into the world. e event is meant to bridge the stories people tell and the stories people need to hear. "is event is open to everyone," said Ausborn. "By supporting these events, the library opens the door for a two-way connection between our lo- cal authors and readers. It's for anyone looking for their next good read or looking to start their writing career!" e Local Author Showcase is free and open to the public and will be held in the Pate Room of the Headquarters Library at 300 Maiden Lane. For more information about the Cumberland County Library and its events, visit www.cumberlandcountync.gov/ departments/library-group/library. Cumberland County library showcases local authors by ASHLEY SHIRLEY Kalos orsisate means "welcome" in Greek. And Fayetteville's Greek community is pleased to kalos orsisate the region back to the Fayetteville Greek Festival, the weekend of Sept. 17 and 18 at the Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, located at 614 Oakridge Avenue. e Fayetteville Greek festival isn't just a virtual journey to the Acropolis of Athens; Mount Olympus, the Home of the Gods; ermopylae, the ancient sulfuric spring where Sparta fought Persia to death; or some better-known landmarks. It's about the "cultural traditions" of an entire country, said festi- val spokesperson Lia Hasapis, who is in Greece on a research trip. Greece is a peninsula situated at the southeastern tip of Europe, at the bottom of the Balkan Moun- tains, stretching in to the Mediterranean, Aegean and Ionian Seas via a countless number of islands. Connected to Turkey by a strip of land in the north- east, the country was a pivotal crossroad between Africa, Asia and Europe that has been inhabited by modern human-beings thousands of years before the birth of Jesus Christ. Centered by Athens, its most powerful city-state, between the years 323 B.C. and 31 B.C., Greece was the "cradle of western civilization," the epicenter for the beginnings of democracy, historiography, philosophy, literature, architecture and astronomy, as the world remembers them. "e Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Ortho- dox Church is a small [Greek] community made up [of people] from all regions of Greece, from the mountains of Evrytania to the Sea of the Pelopon- nese ... all the way to Macedonia, and not to men- tion all the beautiful Greek isles," Hasapis said. e Fayetteville Greek Festival is free to the public. However, though the menu is authentic, food and drinks are not free. Greek spirits, domestic beers and soft drinks will be offered, and, please remember that dessert is the biggest portion of the menu. e legendary Greek culture, hospitality and food "is what ... the Greek community ... would love for you all to experience," Hasapis added. Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church will give free grounds tours. e festivities will be in the "Hellenic Room" between the hours of 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, and from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18. is year's Greek Festival will be the first in- person Greek festival since the beginning of the pandemic. Fayetteville's very own Greek community couldn't be happier to showcase the best of what makes the southeastern European nation the cradle of western civilization. Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church is at 614 Oakridge Avenue, at the end of Oakridge, if you're coming from the top Haymount Hill. Bear in mind that Oakridge Avenue begins at the Hay Street intersection, directly across Hay Street from the Cape Fear Regional eatre. Note that Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church is at the end of the Oakridge, on the right. To find out more about the 2022 Fayetteville Greek Festival, its menu and mission, surf the internet on over to FayGreekChurch.com or Facebook.com/ pages/category/Nonprofit-organization/FayGreek- Fest. R. ELGIN ZEIBER, Staff Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200 e 2022 Fayetteville Greek Festival will be Sept. 17 and 18 at the Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church. (Photo of previous event courtesy Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church)