According to local history provided by the annual Salt Lake Greek Festival, Nicholas Kastro was the very first Greek to immigrate to this great state, sometime around 1870. And, in case you thought that with one come many, 30 years later, the 1900 census counted just three lonely Greeks who called this high desert home.
Shortly thereafter, with Salt Lake Valley becoming home to mining operations, Greeks flooded the place. By 1905, the first meetings were being held to organize the community, including a plan to build a Greek Orthodox Church. But it wasn’t until nearly 100 years after lonely Kastro settled here that the initial foundation was laid for what has become the annual Greek Festival.
Now, the event is perhaps Utah’s best-known and most popular ethnic celebration. Held in the heart of Old Greek Town, the festival has grown from a simple basement bazaar to a fullfledged, four-day celebration of all things Greek. But, besides being a great way for the Greek community to share its unique and cherished culture with the rest of us, festival liaison Alexis Chopin notes that it has become key in keeping the ever-growing Greek population tightly knit, as well. City Weekly
