LORAIN — The 2011 Lorain International Festival got off to a good start today with a lively talk by Dr. Athanasios Thomas Dalagianni.

Dr. Athanasios Thomas Dalagianni

Dalagianni, who was born in Greece, lived under apartheid in South Africa and immigrated to Lorain County in 1977, represents this year’s spotlight nationality — the Greeks. He is chief of plastic surgery at all three major hospitals in Toledo.

Dalagianni spoke to about 200 people who gathered this morning at DeLuca’s Place in the Park for the annual breakfast to kick off festival week.

“We are talking about my culture, which is Greece, but we also are addressing so many other ethnicities,” he started. ”When you watch that movie, ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding,’ that speaks to so many different cultures, and I have so many friends in different nationalities who say ‘That is just like my household.’ ”

He continued: “When I talk about a Greek culture or a Greek community, it really is no different then being in any other international community.”

He discussed a list of the core values he believes bind the Greek community together.

First and foremost, religion.

“Religion is what binds us,” he said. “If you’re not Greek, you’re not Greek Orthodox. If you’re Greek Orthodox, you’re Greek. That’s the way it goes.”

He also mentioned culture and language, family and, of course, food.

“We associate certain foods with who we are,” he said.

Dalagianni recalled coming to Cleveland at age 11 in December 1977, which happened to be the blizzard of 1977.

Having lived in Greece and Africa “the only snow I had ever seen was in a postcard,” he said. “I know this is going to seem really silly, … but I thought snow was like cotton.”

He recalled running out of the airport in a T-shirt and shorts with his brother, jumping into the snow and only to “very quickly realize that snow is cold, and it is wet.”

Dalagianni praised the strength of immigrants coming to America and making it their own.

“Whether it’s your parents or your grandparents, they left everything they knew, and they started all over again,” he said.

“Yes, I am Greek, but I’m Greek-American,” he said. “I take the best of my culture, just like the rest of you take the best of your cultures, and we are going come and live in a wonderful place like Lorain where all these cultures can be shared.”

CLEVELAND – The Indians had to sit through a nearly two-hour rain delay and play 11 innings Sunday at Progressive Field, but no one in the Cleveland clubhouse had complaints with the end result.

An all-around banner day for the Indians was capped in dramatic fashion by the unlikeliest of heroes in rookie second baseman Cord Phelps, who hit a three-run walk-off home run with one out in the 11th to power Cleveland to a 5-2 victory.

“I guess it was worth the wait to win a game like that,” said Indians manager Manny Acta, whose team won for the fifth time in seven games to remain atop the Central Division standings with a one-game lead over Detroit. “I think Cord deserved to win the game, because he hit the ball hard all day. He was the right guy at the plate in that situation.”

It didn’t appear that way when Phelps, a rookie who was called up June 8 to provide an offensive boost in place of struggling veteran Orlando Cabrera, strode to the plate with just two hits in his first 20 big league at-bats.

But after taking a ball from Pirates reliever Tim Wood, Phelps shocked the stadium by sending a drive deep to right-center to touch off a celebration on the field and among the 30,023 fans in attendance.

first home run to be a walk-off,” said Phelps, who hit Cleveland’s third walk-off homer of the season. “I think that’s like my first walk-off hit ever.

“I knew I hit it well. I knew it was going over the outfielder’s head for sure, but I haven’t played in this park a whole lot.”

The Indians were on the mark in nearly every facet of the game in the series finale.

While the offense continued to struggle, scoring just twice on seven hits over 10 innings, Cleveland did get contributions from two of its biggest slump-ridden players – Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana.

The pair of key cogs combined to go 5-for-8, scoring three runs and driving in one. Choo had base hits in each of his last three trips to the plate, while Santana hit his ninth homer of the season – a solo shot that scored the first of the Indians’ two runs in a game-tying second inning.

Both Santana and Choo were on base for Phelps’ homer, Choo singling and stealing second before Santana was intentionally walked.

Neither team scored after the second inning until the Indians won it in the 11th.

Cleveland starter Justin Masterson was gone well before the fantastic finish, lasting just five innings, but keeping the Indians in the game by allowing two runs on seven hits.

“It really wasn’t about me today,” said Masterson, who is winless (0-5) in his last 10 starts despite posting a 3.41 ERA over the span. “I kept it close, but the bullpen did a tremendous job. Our guys hung in there and we got the win.”

Cleveland’s bullpen, which has been top-notch all year, rode to the rescue again. Starting with Chad Durbin, six relievers combined to blank the Pirates on just four hits over the final six innings. Left-hander Tony Sipp got the win by getting the final two outs in the 11th.

“How about that bullpen?” Acta said. “Every single one of them just went out there and kept us in the game. It was just a fantastic performance by those guys.”

The same can be said for shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, who went hitless in five at-bats, but made the play of the season in the field in the 10th inning.

Cabrera ventured into the outfield grass to make a bare-handed snare of a hard one-hopper from Brandon Wood, turning and making a strong throw from deep in the hole to record the second out.

“Half of the dugout was saying greatest player ever,” Acta said. “It was unbelievable, and the throw was even better. He’s played tremendous baseball for us. That’s the first time I’ve seen something like that.”

“We reminded him that he did have a glove,” Masterson said. “That’s what he’s been doing. That’s why he’s one of the best, if not the best, shortstop in the AL.”

Interleague play has begun well for the Indians, who have swept both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh in three-game series at Progressive Field. They are the only unbeaten team in the majors in interleague play.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

TONIGHT

• WHO: Cleveland vs. Colorado
• TIME: 7:05
• WHERE: Progressive Field
• PITCHERS: Carmona (4-8, 5.79 ERA) vs. Nicasio (2-1, 3.38)
• TV/RADIO: SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

CLEVELAND – This was a Father’s Day to forget for Jon Nunnally.

With the Indians in the midst of offensive struggles that have played a large part in decimating their substantial lead in the Central Division, Nunnally – Cleveland’s hitting coach for the past two seasons – was fired.

The dismissal was made official Sunday, but Nunnally was actually let go prior to Saturday’s game, and was not in the dugout for the Indians’ 5-1 win over the Pirates.

Bruce Fields, the organization’s minor league hitting instructor since 2007, will take over for Nunnally on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.

Nunnally, 39, was a player favorite, with many of the Indians expressing surprise over his firing, which came with Cleveland in a first-place tie with Detroit.

“We’re still in first place,” right fielder Shin-Soo Choo said. “Why is he fired? I am very disappointed because he helped me a lot. Not just me, everybody on the team.”

Choo, a career .297 hitter, who had slumped to .237 through Saturday, is one of a number of Cleveland players performing below expectations at the plate.

The Indians entered Sunday batting .251 overall, and .271 with runners in scoring position, while averaging 4.4 runs per game. But they had hit an offensive rut as of late, batting .156 (17-for-109) with runners in scoring position since

June 2 through Saturday, while being shut out six times in 18 games from May 27-June 14.

“We’ve been scuffling for a while and I felt like we need a new voice,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “Jon worked hard and I want to thank him, but we are confident Bruce, who is very familiar with our current players, will continue the work he has done developing hitters at every level.”

Nunnally was at Progressive Field prior to Saturday’s game, meeting with Acta and general manager Chris Antonetti, then leaving the park after being fired. Antonetti said he and Acta made the decision, both feeling it was the right time for a change.

Fields, 50, is in his sixth year with the Indians, serving as Triple-A Buffalo’s hitting coach in 2006, before taking over as coordinator. He was born in Cleveland, played three years in the majors and was Detroit’s hitting coach from 2003-05.

“There is no magic answer,” Antonetti said. “It’s still the same group of hitters (that produced early), and a season is full of peaks and valleys. We hope Bruce can give us a better chance collectively. We think we have hitters who can do better.”

Nunnally spent six seasons in the majors, retiring in 2006, before beginning his coaching career as Cleveland affiliate High-A Kinston’s hitting coach from 2007-08. He served the same role for Triple-A Columbus in 2009, then joined the major league staff for Acta’s first year as manager last season.

Next up

The Indians host the Colorado Rockies in a three-game series that begins tonight at 7:05.

Fausto Carmona (4-8, 5.79 ERA) opens the set for Cleveland, opposing RHP Juan Nicasio (2-1, 3.38), while Mitch Talbot (2-4, 5.02) goes for the Indians on Tuesday (7:05) against RHP Jhoulys Chacin (8-4, 2.81).

Josh Tomlin (8-4, 3.93) pitches the series finale Wednesday (7:05), while the Rockies counter with RHP Jason Hammel (3-6, 3.65).

Minor details

Second baseman Jason Kipnis got the only hit for Columbus in a 4-0 loss to Scranton on Saturday.

• Shortstop Juan Diaz went 2-for-3 with his fourth homer and three RBIs Saturday in Double-A Akron’s 9-4 victory over Portland. Diaz, acquired along with Ezequiel Carrera in a trade with the Mariners last year for Russell Branyan, was batting .252 with 12 doubles and 28 RBIs in 66 games through Saturday.

• Second baseman Tyler Cannon (12th-round draft pick last year) went 4-for-4 with two doubles, three runs and an RBI on Saturday in High-A Kinston’s 9-0 win over Lynchburg.

• Class A Lake County first baseman Jesus Aguilar went 2-for-4 with his team-leading 11th homer and three RBIs Saturday in a 6-5 loss to West Michigan. Aguilar, acquired in a trade with the Brewers for LHP Chuck Lofgren last year, entered Sunday batting .274 with 43 RBIs in 63 games.

Roundin’ third

Carlos Carrasco (7-3, 3.87 ERA) entered Sunday leading the majors with six wins since May 17.

• The Indians have swept both of their first two interleague opponents, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, in three-game sets at Progressive Field. Cleveland, 124-129 all-time in interleague play, went 5-13 against NL opponents last year.

• The Indians drew 100,437 fans to Progressive Field for their three-game interleague series with Pittsburgh. It was the largest three-day total since 2008.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

LORAIN – Lorain’s International Festival kicks off at 8 a.m. today with the annual festival breakfast, and the festival’s 45th year promises to pack in all the fun and festivities attendees have come to love over the years.

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Ralph Bruening, who coordinates the festival’s three-day weekend bazaar, said festival-goers can expect as many or more of the delectable dining options they’ve come to expect.

What they won’t see is a number of the churches and social groups that usually serve those goodies.

“We did lose a lot of our churches and social clubs this year,” Bruening said. “It’s a lack of volunteerism. The youth aren’t stepping up to the plate, so they can’t staff the booths for the food.”

Among the groups who won’t be selling food this year are Mary, Mother of God Church, St. Anthony of Padua Church, the Italian-American Veterans Club and the Lorain Lions Club.

Bruening, who said he had to be “a little creative” to fill booths this year, is taking the change in stride.

“It’s not a threat to the festival. It may become a change of direction as to where we get our vendors,” he said. “We’ve been looking outside of the area because we’ve seen this coming for a couple years now.

“I think it’s going to wind up being a commercial event. Across the country we see the same thing, festivals moving toward a commercial event.”

While feeding the throngs who flock to International Festival has proven to be a challenge, entertaining their children has not.

Credit Nina Wooldridge, who has headed up the kids area for several years.

Again this year, the festival will have a children’s area with nearly a dozen inflatable attractions.

New this year will be an educational focus.

Children can learn how to dance in Greek, Hungarian and African styles at the bazaar on Saturday, then make an international craft to take home.

But before the three-day food-and-entertainment-packed bazaar even gets here, there’s a full week of International Festival events to get through.

This year the focus will be on the Greek nationality, and the spotlight organization is the Cleveland Clinic. Twenty-two girls representing 11 nationalities will vie to preside over the weekend bazaar as queen.

The Clinic kicked off festival week with an open house Saturday, inviting residents to tour its Cooper Foster Park Road facility in Lorain.

Lorain’s Greek community is eager for its time to shine as well, according to Madelyn Matos, who along with others from St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church is spearheading that effort.

“It’s been kind of a fun ride learning all the things that are entailed in it,” Matos said.

Matos said she’s excited to help share her culture.

“I think it’s amazing because I think culture is so important,” she said. “All nationalities are proud of who they are, but we are exceptionally proud.”

The Greeks will host a cultural night Wednesday at the church, on Tower Boulevard, featuring food as well as entertainment by Sigma Greek Band and the church’s own youth and adult dance troupes.

Today’s breakfast at DeLuca’s Place in the Park will feature a keynote speech by Dr. Athanasios Thomas Dalagiannis. Dalagiannis, the chief of plastic surgery at all three major Toledo hospitals, was born in Greece, lived under apartheid in South Africa and settled in Amherst at age 11.

Ousis Greek Band will perform a free outdoor concert this evening in downtown Lorain.

Also free is the sacred music concert Tuesday evening at the Lorain Palace Theatre.

On Thursday evening the festival will crown its queen in a pageant featuring singing, dancing and instrumental music, and on Friday the real fun begins as the bazaar officially opens.

Bruening said he doesn’t expect bringing in commercial vendors to compromise the quality of the food festival-goers have come to expect.

The festival committee will hold restaurants and caterers who staff booths to the same standards as the churches and social clubs who’ve fed the masses for years, he said.

“We want authentic ethnic foods,” he said.

Bruening pointed out that the challenge has actually brought two new ethnic cuisines to the festival – Indian and Hawaiian.

Bruening has his fingers crossed for sunshine, 75- to 82-degree weather and “a nice south wind” to blow the mayflies back out to the lake.

“If it gets over 83, nobody wants to drink beer,” he said “They’ll still eat, but they’ll take more home.”

Bruening said he expects this year’s attendance to be as good or better than recent years.

“People are ready to come back out,” he said. “There’s a little more money out there. People are starting to do more, and they’re doing closer-to-home stuff.

“People are hearing about it, and they’re coming back. Everyone’s looking for a better, cheaper time.”

The children’s area, with its $3 kids meals, makes the festival even more affordable for families.

Woolridge thinks it’s important to keep children and families coming to the festival.

“The clubs are going away, so the young generation, they’re not really exposed to other nationalities anymore other than the International Festival,” Woolridge said. “It may encourage some of those kids as they grow up to become a part of their nationality group and become involved.”

Matos agrees.

“I think as the generations go on, people lose a little about how America was built,” she said. “I think when we do have something like this, it reminds us of where we came from and where we can go.”

Contact Rona Proudfoot at 371-0792 or rproudfoot@chroniclet.com.