Be loose on ouzo by 4. Dance all twirly by 5. Hog down gooey baklava till your pours leak honey. Light a candle for a dollar and pray for world peace. (Or, if your bank account's scrawny these days, ask god to win ya the Power Ball.) If in a gambling mood, toss 2 bucks into a raffle and win a trip to Greece, or a 14-carat white gold diamond and sapphire cross, or a designer Barbie. Where? The 35^th Annual Valley Greek Festival in Northridge, CA, whooping it up this weekend May 24, 25, 26, 1-9 p.m.

Anthony Quinn in 'Zorba the Greek' gets his Opa* on.

Now if you plan on arriving late after a matinee of Indian Jones - wondering how Harrison Ford can move around like that on creaky old hips -- worry not. A crack team of 50-60 volunteer bakers have been cranking out pastries for the fest and that's about 14 different kinds for a total of 48,000 pieces o' sweet heaven. They'll be plenty enough for you and the thousands of Greek freaks who plan to attend.

* According to the UrbanDictionary.com 'OPA' is a Greek exclamation "used for no apparent reason at all." Example given: GREEK DUDE #1: Wanna dance? GREEK DUDE #2: OPA!

LA2DAY'S Art & Design reporter LISKA JACOBS will be there lapping the ouzo table. 

VALLEY GREEK FESTIVAL May 24, 25, 26. 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm. St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 9501 Balboa Boulevard, Northridge, CA. Fee: FREE. Phone: (818) 886-4040 (don't press 3 unless it is a liturgical emergency and you wish to speak to a priest which I found out so you don't have to.)

Email: info@valleygreekfestival.com

ROBYN EWING for LA2DAY

rae@la2day.com