Social of New York Arcadian Chapter Remembers Heritage
By Catherine Tsounis
Preserving culture and heritage played a prominent role at the Geros Tou Morea chapter of the Pan Arcadian Federation of America celebration on Sunday afternoon, May 20, 2012. The event took place at a closed street in front of the clubhouse at 27-02 39th Ave. in Astoria. An NYPD auxiliary police presence provided a feeling of security in an urban setting. Lambs were barbecued with excellent Greek cuisine. The St. Demetrios High School dance group performed under the direction of Demetrios Valkanas. Prominent members of the community were presented its 23rd Annual Spring Festival of the. The urban festival was held overlooking the Queensboro Bridge and attracted members from New Jersey, Chicago and Illinois who met at the clubhouse of the New York chapter at 27-02 39th Ave. in Long Island City in May. Lambs were barbecued and all enjoyed excellent Greek cuisine. The St. Demetrios of Astoria Dance Group led by Demetrios Valkanas was the highlight of the event.
OUT OF ARCADIA
BOOK REVIEW
“OUT OF ARCADIA” by Nicholas D. Kokonis
(St. Basilʼs Publishers, P.O. Box 1155, Deerfield, IL 60015)
I had recently the good fortune to read Nicholas Kokonisʼ new novel “Out of Arcadia,” a sequel to his award-winning “Arcadia, my Arcadia.” Despite its length, over 420 pages, I found this book an absorbing, compassionate and compelling story of a young Greek immigrant, looking for the Promised Land in the 1960s. The hero, Angelo Vlachos, portrays one of the best pictures of post-WW II immigration of Greeks to the United States. His tenacity and perseverance to achieve his goal, i.e. to get a college education at an American University, is the manifestation of the secret dream harbored by thousands of Greeks that came to America for the same purpose.
