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To quote a now famous politician, YES WE CAN!! Yes we can build a new shed, have the best and most successful festival ever, and move ever closer to finishing our debt repayment for the new hallway and exo narthex/narthex. As we reach the halfway point in the year, I am pleased to let you know that we have a lot to be thankful for.

THE FESTIVAL

Three days of blood, sweat and tzatziki sauce! One month later, the final numbers emerge. The festival income is up 10%--from last year’s $254,000 to this year’s $280,000! With expenses slightly down, the festival’s profit will come in at about $145,000—up 22% over last year! We are closing in on revenue of $300,000—George Sokaris’ dream number!

And—besides the financial reward, the weekend is just really fun. Working side by side—seeing old friends return to the festival; rekindling our Greek Pride—all of it works together to make for a super weekend.

Last week a group of 20 people returned to St. Sophia to rehash the festival and start planning for next year. Our brainstorming session led to some great ideas—we will be starting to solicit your input on these ideas in the near future. Our goal is to be fully involved in festival 2009 starting in January this coming year! Congratulations to every single person who worked on the festival—and a special thanks to George Sokaris who led us to success in ’08.

THE SHED

By the time this Testament is published, our new shed will be built and finally we will have the extra storage we so need. Amy Spellos led the charge on this one. Her tireless spirit and "Yes we can" attitude motivated many of us to pick up a hammer. This was a great community project as well—with so many people helping in any way they could. Some people raised money; some donated food; some cooked for the workers—and then the workers—well—they were amazing. Many thanks to all involved. We have accomplished a great undertaking together!

LOOKING FORWARD

As summer is upon us, we have so many things to look forward to. The Pangari is a lonely place come summer; hopefully, some of you will come by to keep the parish council going. During the summer we will be working on the budget and planning for the return of our families. There’s so much to look forward to. Just to mention some exciting activities—Souvlaki Fest, Volunteer Sunday, and the annual Thanksgiving Dance Reunion—just to name a few!

Have a wonderful vacation!