This year’s 2009 Greek Festival will reach a great milestone. It will be the 40^th Greek Festival that our community has conducted since its inception in 1970. We should all be proud of the fact that we give to our great city a festival of festivals. We should be proud that we have risen to the occasion time after time regardless of weather or monetary constraints or even disagreement. We always seem to come together, as a team, and provide our city with an event that is considered the standard for other events. We should all be proud.

This great milestone will come on the heels of the most successful festival that we have ever had. It will come, however, at a time when we are all feeling the effects of a very difficult economy — not only as individuals, or a church, but as a country. We will face challenges that we have never faced before. It is all very well known that costs of all kinds have escalated, that some people find it difficult to make ends meet and yet others have even lost their jobs. Nevertheless, through all of these difficulties I believe that people will turn out once again in large numbers to our very special 40^th Greek Festival.

I will not make you promise that we will break records as I have in the past, but I will tell you that we as a Greek community have a product – in our festival – that is appreciated and very much desired. If we continue to provide great food at a reasonable price, if we continue to show our community our culture through our dances and music, if we continue to show the hospitality that we Greeks are known for, then I will tell you that we will not only be successful, but will reach heights that we never thought possible.

We will do those things that have worked for us over the past years. The admissions, our journal, great vendors and our constant search for new and creative ways to make our festival better – will continue. We will be asking those vendors that we have been doing business with over the years to once again support our efforts. We will be adding some things and changing others, all in the effort to maximize both profitability and performance.

Concerning our journal, I ask you to please support it and to support it early. You can help in many simple ways. We have over 800 journals from last year. These will be in the office along with 2009 contracts. Take some and give them to people that you know in business. If we hand out all of them, we will receive 40 ads – it is that simple. If you placed an ad last year, place it again this year; but, please do it early. I need your help to make this informative AND very profitable booklet. For your convenience, a Journal Contract is in this issue.*

Regardless of the weather or economic conditions, our festival will go on. Whether we break records or not, it will again be my pleasure to work with such great and talented people who are also my friends in bringing a great event to Albany that many visitors look forward to.