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/898180
16 UCW NOVEMBER 8 - 14, 2017 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM EVENTS Ever y yea r, t he Sa ints Helen a nd Greek Or t hodox Church of fers t he g reater Fayet tev i l le a rea a delicious spag het t i mea l. A nd ever y yea r, t housa nds show up to pa r ta ke. Nov. 15 ma rk s t he church's 59t h A nnua l World's La rgest Spag het t i Dinner a nd Greek Past r y Sa le. T his much- loved t radit ion lasts just one day, but it's wor t h at tending. During t he early years, t he spaghetti din- ners were dine-in affairs, ser v ing about 400 meals each year. The event has grow n so much t hat eating in is no longer an option, but still, t housands turn out to pick up t he piping hot pasta in to-go boxes. W hile t he communit y is always eager to support t his delicious endeavor, it's a huge effort on t he part of t he Greek congrega- tion as well. Dozens of church volunteers come toget her to make a couple of tons of pasta and 900 or so gallons of meat sauce – all topped w it h 200 or so pounds of grated Parmesan cheese – for t heir friends, neigh- bors and communit y. Head chef Tony Kotsopoulis started helping w it h t he dinner in 1989. By 1993, he was running t he k itchen for t he event along w it h t he generous help of many volunteers. There is a lot t hat goes into mak ing t he dinner and pastr y sale a suc- cess year after year. The planning, t he prepping, t he cook ing and t he ser v ing all take time and energ y. But as cars line up and t he boxes of spaghetti start heading out t he Hellenic Center doors, it becomes wort h it. Few events receive t his k ind of support from t he communit y, and t hat's not lost on t he volunteers who t w ice a year pull toget her to embrace Fayettev ille. The ot her occasion is t he Greek Festival, which takes place each September. The delicious pasta is reason enough to support t he spaghetti dinner, but t he Greek pastr y sale t hat happens alongside t his event has a strong follow ing, too. For anyone w it h a sweet toot h, t he pastries are a treat not to be missed. W hi le t he dinner a nd past r y sa le is a boon for t he com munit y, it's about more t ha n f i l ling stomachs w it h a hea r t y mea l. T he proceeds benef it loca l nonprof its t hat help people in t his com munit y. T he ben- ef icia r ies cha nge f rom yea r to yea r, but t he generosit y of t he Greek cong regat ion does not. The spaghetti dinner and pastr y sale runs Nov. 15 from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. at t he Hel- lenic Center at 614 Oak ridge Ave. Tickets cost $7 and can be purchased at t he door. Call (910) 484-8925 for more information. Tradition lives on at the World's Largest Spaghetti Dinner a STAFF REPORT The World's Largest Spaghetti Dinner takes place Nov. 15 at the Hellenic Center. (910) 678-8400 • www.faytechcc.edu The SMART Choice for Education! Education Is A Great Way To Begin e New Year! Register Now for Spring Classes! Classes begin Januar y 16 th Registration locations: Tony Rand Student Center at Fayetteville campus Spring Lake campus Fort Bragg Training & Education Center