Page 30 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2015

COASTNOTES
story by Lynn Lofton
photo by Brian Treadaway
New holiday extravaganza in Gulfport Harbor
Harbor Lights Winter Festival, a $1.4 million lighted extravaganza with a nautical theme, is taking place in Gulfport Harbor and Jones Park, adding something new to the local holiday scene. The park-and-walk event began Nov. 27 and runs through Jan. 3, 2016.
Island View Casino Resort is the main sponsor, pledging $2.5 million over five years. Additional support comes from Fayard Moving & Storage and Coast Transit Authority.
The show includes huge lighted displays and a grove of Christmas trees with LED lights. The Ship Island Ferry is open in the evenings for refreshments.
The cost for the first year’s installation and tear down is
around $1.3 million. Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes said the bill is being paid in quarterly installments. Some of the expenses, including all the decorations, the electrical work and sound, will be one time only.
Admission is $5 per person with a $20 maximum per vehicle — $40 for vans and limos and $100 for charter or school buses. Shuttles are available at the CTA parking garage on the north side of Highway 90.
City Of Gulfport
228.868.5700 • www.gulfport-ms.gov
IT’SGREEKTOME Annual Greek pastry sale & something new story by Lynn Lofton photo courtesy of Holy Trinity
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Biloxi is sponsoring two events for the holiday season. On December 12, an Ethnic Christmas Festival — Under One Sky — and an Ethnic Christmas Pastry Sale will be held at the church.
“The Ethnic Christmas Festival will be a first on the Coast,” said Church Council President George Yurchak. “It will showcase the food, entertainment and dances of Greece, Russia, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.”
In addition, there will be church tours to highlight the Byzantine
iconography, tables with ethnic gifts and foods for sale, silent auction items, and activities for children.
“The pastry sale has been a hit for over 40 years, but this year we have expanded it to include Russian, Romanian, Ukrainian, Moldovan and Georgian pastries as well as Greek,” Yurchak said.
On December 19, Holy Trinity will host An Evening of Christmas Songs and an international dinner at the church. The songs will be performed by Nataliya Petrovska- Molsbee, a Ukrainian opera singer; J.T. Anglin, a Coast opera singer;
and Karen Henderson, a Holy Trinity parishioner. After the performance, there will be an international dinner with dishes prepared by parishioners with recipes handed down for generations.
George Yurchak
228.831.5820 or 228.860.3376 georgeyurchak@yahoo.com
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church 255 Beauvoir Rd., Biloxi 228.388.6138 www.holytrinitybiloxi.org
30 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • December 2015
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