St. Elpis Greek Orthodox Church will celebrate the Greek Orthodox community of Southside Virginia with multiple events in September. The celebrations include a Greek festival on Sept. 13 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and a homecoming event on Sept. 21 for parishioners and clergy, which includes a community picnic and special church service honoring Saint Elpis.

"This year St Elpis is celebrating 115 years of Greeks in Southside Virginia, especially those who have fed us for the past century, like the Plakas family who have run restaurants since 1910 in Petersburg. We are also honoring Fotios Melis , who we lost this month," Alana "Beba" Gavrilis, St. Elpis Greek Orthodox Church parish council secretary and Greek festival chair, said.

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