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7 THE SHEPHERD • MARCH 2024 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO 909 Prospect Avenue 858.35 2.6588 spiroscuisine.com Now open in the heart of La Jolla! Extensive Greek & mediterranean menu Delicious Greek desserts Fine wines, local & imported draft beer Patio for outdoor seating A fulfilling dining experience Open for lunch & dinner, 11AM to 9PM Catering for all events, big & small Online order & delivery available AT THE CORONADO FERRY LANDING 619.435.1225 WWW.SPIROSCAFE.COM Best Greek food in the region Draft beer varieties Imported & domestic wine Spacious indoor/outdoor seating Panoramic views of S.D. Bay Catering Available The last two months have been a whirlwind for the Dance and Cho- ral School. The year started off filled with laughter on January 19th when we brought Greek-American co- median Basile to Saint Spyridon for the first time ever! A crowd of over 225 was kept in stitches for over 90 minutes at reflections on “Growing Up Greek in America.” The highlight was his impromptu banter with the crowd. For weeks I have had folks nudge me and whisper ‘inside” jokes from the show: from “Danny” to “I’ll never look at worry beads the same way again!” Of course the evening was a fund- raiser for our Greek Dance and Choral program, and it was an over- whelming success! To remind us of the meaning behind the event our own Nektarios Tradas put together a beautiful slideshow of images from the last 20+ years of the St. Spyridon Dance and Choral School program. A digital copy of the link is available for a $10 donation. Email stspyr- idondance@gmail.com for informa- tion. On Sunday February 4th we host- ed our FDF Preview in the church hall. Both our youngest group, Ta Spiridonakia and our older group Pelagos performed to the delight of a packed room. For the first time in four years, Saint Spyridon brought a dance and choral group to perform at FDF from Feb- ruary 15-19 in Anaheim, California. This was the first FDF for many of our kids and parents and everyone said it was an amazing experience they will never forget. When the kids walked off the stage after their per- formance on Saturday, we had a very special surprise for Father Andrew and our dance director Perry Ga- dinas. Both were celebrating mile- stone birthdays that day and we were thrilled that they could spend them with us! We are so grateful for the wonderful support of our Dance and Choral School directors and assistants, Per- ry Gadinas, Sia Brown, Katherine Anastopoulos, Maria Morearty, and of course, Kathy Meck . Our choral group led by Kathy Meck took home first place medals and it was espe- cially meaningful to have Perry and Katherine put the medals on the kids as they walked on stage. But the highlight of the event were the bonds that developed amongst the parents and kids in the pro- gram. Every one of our kids laughed, danced and had fun with each other and were always kind and support- ive. We connected with one another and created stronger friendships and bonds and loving relationships that will last beyond these four days. We are already looking forward to FDF 2025, not to mention the perfor- mances we already have planned for the rest of the year. If you would like our dance group to perform at your next event, please reach out to stspyridondance@ gmail.com or call 714-931-2431 for information. Timmy Paraskevopoulos DANCE & CHORAL Sponsored Announcement