The popular annual Greek Festival features traditional Greek dinners, a la cart items, appetizers, Taverna beverages, and pastries and other desserts.

Museum L/A’s future home on Beech Street, the Gendron Franco Center on Oxford and Cedar Streets, and Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church on Hogan Road are three of the locations that will host parts of Lewiston-Auburn Festival Weekend 2018. The weekend’s events will include Museum L/A’s Dance Party Under the Stars II, the premier of the L/A Poutine Feast-ival & Pichenotte Tournament, and the annual two-day Lewiston-Auburn Greek Festival.

Kicking off the weekend on Friday, September 7, from 7 to 11 p.m. will be Dance Party Under the Stars II.The event will take place at Museum L/A’s future home, located on the shores of the Androscoggin River near Simard-Payne Park in Lewiston and the foot bridge that spans the river to Bonney Park in Auburn.

“We are excited to host our first-ever event at the future home of Museum L/A,” said executive director Rachel Desgrosseilliers. “Imagine a beautiful evening under a starry, moonlit sky, where you and your guests are rockin’ to ’70s and ’80s music with renowned local band Good & Plenty!”

The evening will start with fine dining at several local restaurants partnering with Museum L/A to offer discounts or themed specialty drinks or meals to enhance the Dance Party experience. At the party, guests can follow dinner with scrumptious desserts crafted by culinary arts students from The Green Ladle.  

Tickets are $50 in advance or $55 at the gate. For more information, including a list of participating restaurants, or to register, call 333-3881 or visit museumla.org.

On Saturday, September 8, from 4 to 8 p.m., the Gendron Franco Center will host the first L/A Poutine Feast-ival &Pichenotte Tournament. Sponsored in part by the Québec Government Delegation in Boston, the event will feature concessions and activities both inside and outside the center.

“The corner of Oxford and Cedar Streets will become a block party with food trucks serving your favorite Québécois poutine!” said the event’s volunteer coordinator, Francis Gagnon. “Inside the center, the bar will be open and the kitchen will be serving Franco favorites, such as pea soup, meat pie, and beans and hot dogs.” 

Guest vendors for the event will include Pinky D’s, the Crêpe Bar, Tripp’s Farm, and Smokey’s Greater Shows. Food and beverage booklets with four food and drink vouchers start at $25 in advance or $35 at the door.

A competitive pichenotte board-game tournament will begin at 3 p.m. “Start practicing your skills to meet the challenge against 40 other teams,” said Gagnon. For more information about the tournament or to register, call 783-1585 or see FrancoCenter.org.

The long-standing anchor of Festival Weekend is the Lewiston-Auburn Greek Festival on Friday and Saturday, September 7 and 8, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church at 155 Hogan Road in Lewiston.

This popular annual event features traditional Greek dinners, a la cart items, appetizers, Taverna beverages, and pastries and other desserts. For more information, including a detailed menu, prices, and directions to the church, see LAGreekFestival.com.

“We invite people from around Maine and the region to come and enjoy this two-day celebration in the Twin Cities,” said Franco Center executive director Mitch Thomas. “We hope this will be just the first of many late-summer events like this one in our beautiful multi-cultural community.”