August 17-18-19, 2007

PRESS RELEASE

Building on the spectacular success of its first festival last year, St. Mary Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, 3256 Warren Road, Cleveland, will host its second annual Romanian Festival August 17, 18, and 19 on the church grounds. Admission and parking are free for the festival, providing a wonderful opportunity for thousands to acquaint themselves with the Romanian culture and heritage and to enjoy live entertainment, taste the delicious Eastern European gourmet foods, see art exhibits and much more.

The event includes authentic Romanian cuisine, with a variety of items on the menu, including grilled mititei (Romanian hamburgers), sarmale (stuffed cabbage), mamaliga (corn meal and cheese soufflé), scoverzi (doughnuts), plus a rich assortment of home-baked pastries, wines of Romania, Romanian beer, soft drinks, and the famous Borsec mineral water. St. Mary’s traditional fish fry will be served Friday only.

There will be live folk music by the well-known Hora Orchestra, Romanian soloists, three dance groups performing inside and outside, a parade of Romanian costumes, booths featuring religious items, icons, painted eggs, and Romanian artifacts. Children’s games and activities also will be available.

The Rev. Dr. Remus Grama, parish priest, and his staff will offer tours of the cathedral, which is well-known for its beautiful icons. Tours of the ethnic museum also will be held at certain times during the weekend.

St. Mary’s, founded in 1904, is the oldest Romanian Orthodox parish in the United States. Prior to the building of today’s cathedral in Cleveland’s Kamm’s Corners neighborhood in 1960, the church’s home was on Detroit Avenue in the old Romanian area of the city. Today, the cathedral is familiar to the large Orthodox Cleveland community for its hospitality and, to the community at large, for its traditional Christmas Craft Show and excellent food served throughout the year at fish fries, weddings and other catered events.

Hours of the festival are Friday, August 17, from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, August 18, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday, August 19, from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. For further information, call the cathedral office at (216) 941-5550. www.smroc.org