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Special Re
Monday activities began at 8:30 a.m., with the
Opening Ceremony of the PAA Business Meetings.
PYA Youth traveled to Cedar Point, guests and their
families went on a tour of Akron, while still others
visited Amish country.
The Archive Room provided an opportunity to view
items such as memorabilia, costumes, pictures, books
and albums. Located in the Library of the Sheraton
Suites, members and guests could view the Akron
Convention picture from 1938. This display was dear
to our hearts, as members, families and friends could
help identify the people seated at the tables during the
Grand Banquet at the Mayf lower Hotel. Many thanks
PAA National conference attendees, including former President John
Manos, located their villages in Crete on a large map.
Cultural Events of the 43rd PAA National Convention
D
elegates and guests of
the 43rd PAA Biennial Convention in Akron,
Ohio, were treated to a variety of cultural and educational events, thanks to
the planning efforts of PAA
Chair Bobby Markakis and
his committee.
At the Women’s Tribute night on Monday,
a concert took us on a
Culture & Education Chair Bob
journey of “life” was narMarkakis at the convention.
rated by Bobby Markakis
and performed by local musicians: Jason Nicolacakis
(lyra), Stamatia Nicolacakis (violin) and John Detorakis (lute) from Akron; Christos Semanderes (lute) from
Pittsburgh; and Pavlis Papadakis (lute) from Salt Lake
City. Singers Demetris Kountis (Akron), Eleni Nikolakis
(Cleveland), Demetris Halivelakis (Florida), and Sofia
Elefter (Akron) told the “life” story while accompanied
by the young ladies from the Akron dance troupe.
Tuesday night was Cretan night and the highlight of
the evening was a dance performance by the youth of
Akron, Clearwater, Pittsburgh, District 4 and District 6.
What made their dances unique was an explanation by
Bobby Markakis on the meaning of each dance. The audience gained a new appreciation of Cretan traditional
dances (Syrtos, Sousta, Siganos pentozali, Malevisiotiko)
and were treated to performances of some of the older
Cretan dances: Trizali, Laziotiko, Anogiano Pidihto and
Roumatiani Sousta. Our talented dance groups did an
amazing job demonstrating the spirit of Crete.
On Wednesday night at the Grand Banquet, we also celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the union of Crete with
Greece. To commemorate this event, 100 individuals (current and past Board members, former PAA presidents and
dancers of all ages) formed a continuous line and danced
one Cretan dance. Even the spirit of Elefterios Venizelos,
embodied by Dr. John Nathenas, joined the line. It was
truly a sight to behold.
While the formal cultural programs took place during
the evening events, there was additional Cretan education and culture being shared during the day. At the same
time convention business was being conducted, several
workshops were also held in conference rooms. Mrs. Noula
Kountis taught the traditional Cretan stitch “Kritiki Velonia,” Georgia Verikakis demonstrated the techniques of
how to knit the Cretan Mandili, and Maria Stratoudakis
held a cooking class on how to make small Cretan rusks
“Kritika Paksimadakia” with olive oil and raki. Thanks to
them, many of our guests gained new knowledge while, at
the same time, shared stories, jokes and mandinathes and
had a wonderful time.
The PAA Archive Room created for this convention also
highlighted our culture through various displays. A 40 foot
wall of photographs depicting the history of the unification
of Crete with Greece was showcased as were samples of a variety of Cretan textiles and examples of Cretan embroidery.
Thanks to the efforts of the PAA local chapters, dance
groups, the Culture and Education Committee, the Archive
Committee and all the members of the Akron convention
committee, our members and their guests were exposed to
the many facets of Cretan culture. K
KPHTH | WWW.PANCRETAN.ORG
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