Cleveland, OH – The Greek Garden Association of Cleveland (GGAC) welcomed a diplomatic delegation from Greece on Tuesday, June 17th, 2025, including The Honorable Ioannis-Michail Loverdos, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Greeks Abroad, and The Honorable Emmanuel Koubarakis, Consul General in Chicago. The diplomatic visit began with a reception hosted by the Georgia Pappas Hellenic Cultural School at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Tremont and included remarks by their Principal Evangelia Koukouras and Parish Council President Kostantinos Almiroudis. The program also included song performances, poetry recitations, and folk dance performances by the Annunciation Dancers, the Phoenix Pontian group, the Cretan Club, Saints Constantine and Helen, and Saint Demetrios’ Kyklonas dancers. It concluded with remarks from representatives of eight regional associations from Samos, lkaria, Chios, Nestorio (Kastoria), the Hellenic Preservation Society (HPS), Sterea Hellas Foundation, Karpathos, and Phoenix Pontian Society.
The diplomatic delegation was then hosted at a reception showcasing the Greek Cultural Garden in Rockefeller Park on the 85th Anniversary of its dedication. His Eminence Metropolitan Savas of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh offered an invocation; Mr. Louis A. Frangos, President of the GGAC, welcomed the dignitaries; and The Honorable Major James P. Trakas, OHMR, Retired, served as Master of Ceremonies. The proud flag-bearers in their traditional attire included Anesti and Panagioti Ermidis, Alexi Kostakis, and Maria Kalikas. GGAC was honored by the attendance of The Honorable Chris Ronayne, Cuyahoga County Executive; and The Honorable Kevin Conwell, Cleveland City Council Member for Ward 9.
Deputy Minister Loverdos spoke eloquently, in both Greek and English, congratulating Cleveland’s Greek community and proudly noting that he is the first Greek government Minister to make an official visit to Cleveland. His plan to do so was inspired, in part, by the welcome received in July 2023 by Consul General Koubarakis.
The GGAC spoke about its imminent plans to install a stone frieze on the existing Parthenon wall, based on the original design from 1939. The frieze will include 34 silhouettes of ancient Greeks who significantly contributed to philosophy, art, literature, and science. World-famous Master Stone Carver Mr. Nicholas Fairplay, who is fortuitously located in northern Ohio, has already begun work on the frieze.
“We are immensely honored to receive our esteemed guests from the ancestral homeland of many in our Cleveland community,” said GGAC President Louis A. Frangos. “It is truly a humbling responsibility to preserve such an important piece of Cleveland’s cultural heritage and to complete the vision of its founders.”
Pascalis Papouras, Executive Director
Anesti Ermidis, Panagiotis Ermidis, His Eminence Metropolitan Savas, Alexi Kostakis, GGAC President Louis A. Frangos, Pascalis Papouras
The Honorable Consul General Emannuel Koubarakis, Marjorie and Bert Moyar, GGAC President Louis A. Frangos, The Honorable Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis-Michail Loverdos, Ann Frangos, His Eminence Metropolitan Savas
