LEWISTON – The baking began three months ago, as women made the pastry layers for the spinach pie and the baklava.

All summer, they baked cookies and cakes in the basement of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church and froze them to be thawed this week.

It was the only way. These women plan to feed thousands.

The two-day Lewiston-Auburn Greek Festival begins today in Lewiston. There will be music and dancing, an auction, children’s games, tours of the church, a taverna and lots of food.

Organizers are expecting a hungry crowd.

At last September’s festival, folks bought all of the pastries – about 1,000 servings – before dinner. This year, the festival has expanded to two days and the pastry production has grown by a factor of four.

They even have a plan for another sellout. Just in case.

“If Friday sells lots of food, we’ll be here at midnight,” said David Rivet, co-chairman of the festival. They’ll start baking and won’t let up until morning.

Such is the nature of Greek hospitality, which they call “philoxania.” They aim to please. Anyone who comes to the festival can expect a sincere welcome.

Their motto: “Once a year, everybody is Greek.”

The festival began in 1978, one year after the congregation moved from its church on Lincoln Street in downtown Lewiston to a residential neighborhood on Hogan Road. The festival continued until 1986. But volunteers grew tired. A scaled-down event was done in 1990.

Then, it disappeared until last year.

The members of the church, many of whom are Greek, wanted to share their culture with the community, said Duke Goranites, the other festival co-chairman.

More than 80 volunteers helped with last year’s one-day event. This year, more than 100 people will volunteer their time. They include people from the church, which is hosting the festival, and students from St. Dominic Regional High School.

Their biggest chore is the preparation of the food, led by several longtime church members, including Bessie Hildreth and Toni Orestis.

On Thursday, more than a dozen people worked in the church basement, preparing some of the food that could not be made ahead of time and getting ready for the large numbers of people.

Last year, they made 1,200 meals, including spinach pie, known as “spanikopita,” classic Greek sandwiches known as “gyros” and “mousaka,” made of layers of eggplant and ground beef and topped with bchamel sauce.

Besides the happy events and the food, the festival will mark the third anniversary of the Sept. 11 tragedy.

A memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday. Sen. Olympia Snowe, a member of the church, is scheduled to attend and make a few remarks.

The entire ceremony will likely take about 20 minutes, the Rev. Ted Toppses said.

It’s a solemn occasion, but it shouldn’t be too jarring for folks wishing to attend the weekend event, he said.

“The weekend is a celebration of life,” Toppses said.

What: The Lewiston-Auburn Greek Festival

When: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Where: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 155 Hogan Road, Lewiston

Info: 783-6795.