South Bay Greek Festival

2020 South Bay Greek Festival Cancelled

South Bay Greek Festival Logo - Sponsored by St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church

June 30, 2020

Dear St. Katherine family,

I pray this letter finds you and your families in good health in these interesting times. Normally this time of the year we would be in the final preparations for our festival. Due to COVID-19, it is with great sadness that the Festival Committee and the Parish Council have elected to cancel this year’s Southbay Greek Festival.

We examined several options including postponing the event until the fall. We concluded that we could not ensure a safe environment for our volunteers, our paid staff, and our guests this year. Furthermore, the constantly evolving regulations of the Los Angeles county health department made planning for the near-term future difficult, putting us at potential financial risk in making future commitments.
This leaves us with a fundraising gap in 2020 as we have come to rely on festival income to fund our operating needs during the latter half of the year. The Parish Council, through its due diligence, has reduced our operating expenses and taken advantage of government financial aid to support the church. Though this has helped we still are facing gaps.

In short order the Parish Council will share details of our needs and how we can all help. Understanding that we all have challenges during this time we ask that you keep St. Katherine is in your prayers, and circumstances allowing, that you will be able to help.
On a personal note, I miss seeing you all; the smells from the cooking, and the comradery. I pray you are all safe and healthy and look forward to seeing you all soon!

Yours in Christ’s service,

Christ Tzelepis
Vice President & Festival Chairman