49th annual Salt Lake Greek Festival to be the biggest, fattest 'this side of the Mississippi'

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The 49th Salt Lake Greek Festival hosted by the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church begins Friday.

Rev. Fr. George Nikas calls the festival a "lifeline" for the church's funding.

The event attracts 30,000-40,000 visitors annually.

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's capital city is ramping up to celebrate its 49th Greek Festival in the heart of downtown.

The festival prides itself on its size, thanks to the settlement and community carried on the backs of those who immigrated from Greece in the early 1900s. According to the festival and its host, the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, only three Greeks were listed in the 1900 census of Utah.

Flash forward to 1935, the Greek Festival began in its earliest form — a one day bazaar held inside the church, which was then stationed just