The great Greek get together

Greek fest celebrates 26 years of festivities and centuries of the culture

Greek fest attendees wait patiently in line with food tickets to receive traditional Greek delicacies of their choosing.

Zoe Eilers

Neda Salamzadeh

Distinctive smells of ethnic cuisine fill the air and attendees whereabouts are guided by the flow of foot traffic into St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church for the celebration best known as Greek Fest.

Youth participants of the church roam the pavillion in traditional Greek attire between performances of culturally enhancing dances. Greek vendors are set up within the church in various  booths to showcase their jewelry, clothing goods and other unique memorabilia.

Katherine Boosalis has been involved with Greek fest since the start, 26 years ago. Additionally, she has helped with the planning and execution of Greek fest for the past 4 years.

“Greek fest has 3 main objectives. One is outreach to the constituents in our community to share our Greek culture. More recently the second objective is to bring our own church community together, I love seeing young Greeks learning the culture and the dances. [Thirdly] we’re also able to share our Greek Orthodox Christian faith which isn’t usually understood. Our church and its traditions and beliefs go way back,” Boosalis said.

Greek freshman Willy Basill has been attending the festival for the past four years for enjoyment and to continually broaden his spectrum on the culture of his ancestors.

“It gives [Greeks] a chance to show other people what Greek culture is like,” Basill said.

Junior Conor Klaers attended the festival for the first time this fall, and said he was surprised and impressed with the numbers and diversity of attendees.

“The first thing I noticed was how many people came and were interested in the Greek culture,” Klaers said. “There was a really interesting mix of Greek and non-Greek people all getting together and having a good time.”

For those who are not sold solely on the aspect of learning more about the culture, the wide selection of traditional Greek foods entices many.

“[My favorite part is] the food, my favorites are the gyros and fries” Basill said.

Basill is not alone in his enjoyment of the delicious assortment of meats, vegetables, sauces and desserts. The allure of Greek cuisine is what attracts many, including Klaers.

“I went with friends and there was promise of great food,” Klaers said.