This weekend many people were wondering if they were going to have to cancel their plans due to Subtropical Storm Alberto, but now that it is headed east towards Florida, they have headed outdoors in time for Greek Fest.
Some call it a tradition.
“We come out here every year to Greek Fest, the food is so fantastic,” Dennis Jordan said.
“Gotta get the pastries, gotta get the baklava sundaes, and then after that it's how full are you? How much can you eat? Just keep going!” Linda Passantino said.
Passantino has the routine down.
“I usually come on Friday night, it's busier, you had the race, but not this year...had the watch the storm,” she said.
A storm near the Gulf of Mexico is not normally a competitor of Greek Fest.
“We've had rain, but never a tropical storm!” Ginny Zissis, the head of the Greek Festival, said.
She said she thinks Alberto kept some people away.
“Yesterday was very slow. Which was unusual for us on a weekend,” she said.
Zissis said now that the weather isn’t expected to be bad, the festival will still be a success.
“We are hoping that we make it up today, I think we will. New Orleans has always been great to us,” she said.
Passantino said she was keeping an eye on Alberto before coming out.
“But then when they said it was going to Florida, I said okay good! Going to Greek Fest,” she said.
Zissis said that it’s no coincidence Alberto moved away from New Orleans.
“We said prayers! We've had services in church the last couple of days and it worked! Cause it's going towards Florida,” she said.
Now everyone can put a little more ‘Opa!’ in their lives.
“The weather just turned out great for us so I am very thankful for that. We are blessed to be here and we are having a great time,” Jordan said.
The festival ends Sunday at 10 p.m.