This weekend the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation will hold its 46th Annual Greek Festival at the Sacramento Convention Center. The theme of this year's festival is "come experience the Greek Isles."

Home-cooked dishes unique to the Greek Isles, such as the Cyprus stifado stew, shrimp Santorini and sesame cookies, will satisfy the hearty appetites of the 10,000 expected attendees.

The festival will also include cooking demonstrations, dance instructions, live music and Mediterranean-themed products and clothes.

Attendees can enjoy the Sacramento group Omega's Greek dance music all three evenings of the festival. During the day, festival-goers will be serenaded by the Bounisi band which event co-chair Gerri Magers describes as, "music like in the villages of Greece." At 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday attendees will be treated to the award-winning folk music of the church choir.

Volunteers have donated over 11,000 hours preparing for this year's festival. Food preparation began in March and will end the night before the festival. Over 900 families form the congregation at the church, which is located opposite of McKinley Park.

The Sacramento Greek Festival traces its genesis to November 1964. Drawing inspiration from a similar Stockton festival, the event began as a modest fundraiser at the Annunciation church hall. Over the course of the past 46 years, the festival has been held at many venues, including Cal Expo, Jesuit High School, Country Club Plaza Mall, the Scottish Rite Masonic Center, and the Governor's Hall at the old state fairgrounds. The festival found its current home at the Sacramento Convention Center in 1984.

The three-day event will begin on Friday, Sept. 4 and conclude on Sunday, Sept. 6. Doors open at 11 a.m. on Friday, and noon on Saturday and Sunday. Regular admission is free for children 12 and under, $5 for adults and $4 for seniors; however, early attendees will be admitted without charge before 3 p.m. Friday. Funds raised are used to support the Church of the Annunciation.

For more information, visit the Sacramento Greek Festival website.