The PAA Minoan Cultural Village Project (PAAMCV)

The essence of this PAA project is to showcase the natural beauty, culture and history of Crete for future generations of Cretan Americans and the public in general that wishes to know more about Crete and its contributions to our way of life. The PAA Minoan Cultural Village will be a bridge to Crete for those who wish to know more about this brilliant heritage.

The concept for this project has been inspired by the pride felt by todays generation of Cretan Americans who have had the privilege of knowing the contributions of their Cretan legacy to Western Civilization. The history and wonders of the Minoan Civilization are unparalleled and a source of admiration for historians and scholars. The amenities and inventions with which the Minoans lived on a daily basis would be envied even by many of todays world cultures.

The PAA Minoan Cultural Village is ideally located adjacent to the campus of the University of Crete where accredited educational and cultural programs can be conducted for students. It is only minutes to the clear beaches of the Cretan Sea, minutes to the heart of Rethymnon with ample shopping dining and cultural activities, and minutes from the highways that take you west to Hania, east to Heraklion and Sitia, and south to Messara and the Libyan Sea.

The PAA Minoan Cultural Village will be designed in the style of ancient Minoan architecture with a central courtyard where community activities, concerts, lectures, dances, and festivals can be held. The main facility will consist of a conference center accommodating 500 participants with exhibition and dining halls and comfortable housing accommodations for 200 people. Guest rooms will comfortably house visiting families and students. Lush landscaped grounds, tennis courts, a swimming pool and basketball courts will offer a place where visitors can enjoy the many amenities or just relax.

Friday, September 18, 2009

New PAA Board Swearing-in on Our Property at Atsipopoulo

Click here for this announcement in Greek

The farewell “glendi?on our property at Atsipopoulo was the culmination of the 41st PAA National convention with the swearing-in of the new PAA Board and the new PAA President Theodore Manousakis. A crowd of approximately 500 conventioneers, Cretan-Americans visiting Crete, local people, and dignitaries including the Governor and the Mayor of Rethymnon, enjoyed a relaxing evening in the open air setting amidst the beautiful oak trees that enrich our property. People started gathering from 7pm on the beautiful Thursday evening of July 23rd and walked around the 7.5 acres (30-stremmata) land on a tour guided by Nikos Peppas, the architect of the PAA Minoan Cultural Village, who explained the plans of the forthcoming development and received feedback from the participants.

The event was being co-hosted by the �“Politistico Syllogo Atsipopoulou?(Cultural Club of Atsipopoulo) and the PAA Minoan Village, Inc. In preparation for the event, a portion of the land had been cleared (pro bono by Stelios Chourdakis) for tables and chairs and a concrete �“pista?had been poured for the dancing. Our good friend Manolis Kaklis brought his chef for the �“antikristo?and �“pilafi?and a new friend, Dimitris Syrianoglou, donated the excellent organic wine and �“tsikoudia?that sparked the event. Musicians from Atsipopoulo played for our dancing pleasure and later our own youth displayed their talent at lyra and laouto, while the late night �“kantada?was provided by a �“parea?from Melambes.

The Chairman of the 41st Convention and President of the PAA Minoan Village Inc, Stavros N. Semanderes, greeted the guests and offered a brief description of PAA�’s plans regarding the development of the property. He also introduced and thanked those present who have contributed toward making our “home?in Crete a reality. He then introduced the newly elected Board which was sworn in by Father Emmanuel Giannoulis of St. Eleftherios Parish in Atsipopoulo. Our new President, Ted Manousakis, thanked the people and promised to work hard in the following two years to strengthen PAA and its programs. Following the Orkomosia, the new Board started the dancing, and then our youth continued with dance performances by PYA members as well as groups from the Atsipopoulo Cultural Club and its dancing group �“Erofili? PAA members and locals enjoyed �“vrasto? �“pilafi? salads, and pies all prepared in traditional Cretan style. Music groups from Atsipopoulo and Manolis Kaklis entertained our friends till midnight, while PYA musicians took the lead on the podium later on. It was around midnight also when the �“antikristo?was served, after it had been roasting for six hours in the old Cretan way.

PAA�’s property in Atsipopoulo will soon become our ‘’home’?in Crete. The 5-star PAA Minoan Cultural Village is planned, with the help of the Greek state, to become the bridge that links Cretan-Americans with Crete, its culture, history, and tradition. It will be a vibrant place where our members, especially the younger generations, will be able to enjoy the superior amenities while at the same time discover the many dimensions of Crete and Cretan culture. Through such an experience they will get to know and be proud of their heritage and that will be a win-win for everyone.

The vision of establishing a permanent �“home?in Crete for all future generations through the PAA Minoan Cultural Village has been supported by many people both in the United States as well as in Crete. As soon as someone in Crete hears of the project they immediately volunteer to help. The �“glendi?at Atsipopoulo was greatly supported by our friends in Crete. We express our gratitude and appreciation to: Father Emmanuel Giannoulis, Tryphon Motakis, Dimitris Syrianoglou, Manolis Kaklis, Stelios Chourdakis, Nikos Peppas, John Koulakis, Takis Phoundoulakis, the Atsipopoulo Cultural Club and its President Despina Aggelidaki, the Dance Group of Atsipopoulo �“Erofili? and Atsipopoulo Youth.

Please visit our website to stay tuned with the PAA Minoan Cultural Village project: www.paamcv.com

Nikos Peppas explains the drawings of the PAA Minoan Cultural Village to our members and friends.

�“Antikristo?had been roasting for nearly six hours

New PAA Board was sworn in by Father Emmanuel Giannoulis

People enjoyed dancing in open air amidst oak trees

posted by PAA Minoan Cultural Village at 6:20 PM

The PAA Minoan Cultural Village Project (PAAMCV)

Friday, September 18, 2009

New PAA Board Swearing-in on Our Property at Atsipopoulo

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