SALT LAKE CITY, UT – The Cretan community of Utah will be hosting an eventful weekend to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the formal establishment of their local Cretan organization. This weekend of events is collectively named the “Minos Century Celebration” and will take place on Friday, June 1-Sunday, June 3, in Salt Lake City.

Dr. Tony Gianoulis- Chairman of the Minos Century Celebration, told The National Herald about the event and this remarkable community. He said, “The Cretan community in Utah has a very large presence. Many Cretans came to Utah at the turn of the 20th century to work in the copper mines. As the years went by, more and more Cretans immigrated to Utah and established their families, homes, and businesses here. Today, we are one of the largest Cretan communities in the United States. Moreover, we are proud of the fact that Utah had the first organized Cretan club in all of the U.S.A. Not only have we successfully managed to maintain a strong Cretan/Greek community for over a century, but we have done this in a state with an overwhelming Mormon population within Utah and its surrounding states.”

Dr. Gianoulis continued, “The entire Minos Century Celebration weekend will be a monumental celebration of our Cretan chapters: Minos, Daughters of Minos, and Minotavros Youth.

“The Minotavros Youth group will host a national summer conference of the Pancretan Youth of America (PYA) and will be sponsoring a ‘Welcome Night’ party for all on Friday, June 1, at the Infinity Event Center in downtown Salt Lake City.

The Minos Century Celebration Gala will be a beautiful dinner and dancing fete to be held on Saturday, June 2, at the Memorial Hall of Salt Lake City’s Holy Trinity Cathedral.

The weekend celebration will culminate with an old-fashioned style Cretan ‘picnic’ on Sunday, June 3, at the Prophet Elias Church Pavilion.”

“We anticipate enthusiastic community participation,” Gianoulis said, adding that “our preparations are proceeding well and we ask you to save these dates for your attendance.”

He also noted, “We hope that through our stories and histories each Greek community anywhere in the world can inspire and be inspired by the others. We would love to get the word out about our gem of a community here in the Mountain West.”

Everyone is invited to celebrate the centennial festivities and “to enjoy beautiful Salt Lake City in June,” Gianoulis concluded.

More information about the Minos Century Celebration is available online via email: [email protected].