Thousands of people gathered in Greensboro Sept. 16-18 for the

37^th Annual Greek Festival at the Greek Orthodox Church

off of Friendly Ave.

Thousands of people gathered in Greensboro

Sept. 16-18 for the 37^th Annual Greek Festival at the

Greek Orthodox Church off of Friendly Ave.

A person who has never been to a Greek

Festival before might be quite apprehensive about what to

expect.

It was surprising to see the diversity of

people who came to enjoy the 3-day event.

From crafts and games for kids to live

entertainment and delicious food, there was plenty for everyone to

do.

The Greek meals were very affordable.

 Popular menu items included gyros, chicken pitas, and

Greek fries.  The gyro—which you can generally find in

the northern U.S. (i.e. New York)—was made out of seasoned beef,

lamb, and tomatoes in pita bread topped with a tasty tzatziki

sauce.  Trying anything that has lamb in it might turn

one off, but it was actually quite enjoyable. It tasted almost like

a Mexican gordita.

The chicken pita was also tasty. The only

difference between the chicken pita and the gyro was the meat. The

Greek fries were ok but of course with ketchup they were a lot

better.

The festival did a good job of making

non-Greeks comfortable by having American food or food that was

easily recognizable such as hotdogs and Greek salads.

Those with a sweet tooth were appeased too.

There were several pastries to choose from for dessert, but the one

that appeared to be favored by all was the

Loukoumades.  Loukoumades are Greek-style donut holes

deep-fried, dipped in syrup, and sprinkled with cinnamon.

 They taste similar to funnel cake.

Guests were entertained by people of different

age groups opa dancing in the center of the outside dining

area.  The opa is a traditional Greek folk

dance.  Guests cheered the dancers on as they joined

in by clapping and some even got up to join the popular Greek line

dance.

The Agora Greek Market was also open and had

Greek items such as arts and crafts, jewelry, cookbooks, etc.

available for purchase.

The Greek Festival was a great opportunity to

learn and experience another country’s culture and what they have

to offer.

• DaShawn Fleming & Cheri Farrior, Contributors