Greer's OC

Get ready for a fantastic family friendly experience of Greek foods, wines, music and dance as the 35th annual “A Taste of Greece” Festival returns to Irvine on Friday, June 21 through Sunday, June 23.  The grounds of St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine, the largest congregation in Orange County, will transform into a festival featuring authentic recipes for traditional Greek dishes, delicious pastries, Greek and American coffees, as well as Greek wine and beer.

Guests can feast on chicken, lamb chops, Greek French fries, gyros, pastichio (Greek lasagna), loucanico (Greek sausage), spanakopita (spinach and feta pie), dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), saganaki (Greek brandy-flamed cheese), loukoumathes (Greek doughnut holes), Greek salad, calamari and more.  Church members have been baking Baklava and other delicious pastries around the clock for weeks in preparation for the tasty festival.

The event also offers Greek dancing lessons, games and boutique shopping, a variety of games and a full-scale carnival.  Event attendees can also enter an opportunity drawing for the chance to win one of three premiere prizes, with a Grand Prize of $3,000 and 2nd Prize of $1,200 and 3rd Prize of a 60” television.

Festival admission is just $3 per person with free admission on Saturday, June 22 from noon – 5 p.m. for seniors older than 65 years. Children under the age of 10 are admitted free (with parents or an adult) throughout the three-day festival.  Free festival parking will also be available, with complimentary shuttle buses transporting guests from public parking sites in Irvine.

Open 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday guests from public parking sites in Irvine.; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday,

4949 Alton Parkway, between Culver Drive and Jeffrey Road in Irvine. For information, visit, IrvineGreekFest.com.
 

YAS Spin-A-Thon

YAS Fitness Center (Yoga and Spinning) in Costa Mesa is teaming up with ThinkCure! for the 4th Annual YAS-A-THON on Sunday, June 23 from 1-4 p.m. YAS-A-THON participants (in Venice, Downtown LA, and Silverlake too) will be spinning to raise money to fund innovative cancer research projects at City of Hope and Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Each registered participant must raise or contribute a minimum of $1,500 per bike. Last year, the YAS-A-THON raised over $200,000 for ThinkCure!, a non-profit organization that works to raise support to accelerate collaborative cancer-cure research.

"As a cancer survivor, this charity is close to my heart," says YAS Founder Kimberly Fowler. "Last year, we raised over $200,000 to further the research that saved my life."

To kick off the YAS- A-THON, YAS will hold a silent auction and pre-ride cocktail party on Saturday, June 22 from 7-10 p.m. at the East Costa Mesa YAS.

291 E. 17th St. in Costa Mesa. 949.548.3888.

To learn more about the YAS-A-THON, visit go2yas.com