Greek Dionysos Festival celebrates what it is to be Greek May 27, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Greek Diaspora Festivals.trackback
Mousaka. Pastitsio. Souvlaki. Kids dinner’s ready! YiaYia’s Gyros and chicken or beef souvlaki sticks at next weekend’s 31st annual Dionysos Greek Festival
“YiaYia” is Greek for grandma, and it’s a dish their grandmothers serve to get the boys to eat traditional food at a young age. Souvlaki is just chicken or beef on a stick, much like shish kebab. Although there is plenty of entertainment scheduled past midnight both Friday and Saturday nights, food is the focus.
New this year will be the Agora, or marketplace, featuring a dozen or so Greek vendors selling Greek statues, videos, clothing, olive-oil shampoos and many other products associated with the Greek homeland. The shopping options were added in response to requests from festival audiences.
About 50 Greek families live in Kalamazoo, so to be successful, the organizers needed to tailor the festival to non-Greeks while still celebrating the culture. The entertainment schedule epitomizes this mix. Beginning the entertainment both Friday and Saturday is a Greek show featuring traditional and contemporary music and dancers.
Later, members of the West Michigan School of Middle Eastern Dance will perform. This group specializes in belly dancing. The activity has become popular recently in the United States. Various videos and classes are sprouting up, promoting the art as exercise. After each performance, the school instructors will give a lesson to anyone interested.
As the night grows long, American cover bands like Montage and Drop 35 will perform. The shift represents the shift in the audience after 9 p.m.
Planned for Saturday afternoon is a number of children’s programs, all free. Admission fees to the festival vary, depending on the time of entry. A large percentage of the proceeds from the weekend will go to the Vine Street Neighborhood Association.
Dionysos Greek Festival > Starts 11 a.m. Thursday, ends 1 a.m. Sunday, Arcadia Creek Festival Place, downtown Kalamazoo. 345-1830. Free before 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday; $2 before 5 p.m. Saturday; $5 from 5 to 7 p.m. all days; $7 after 7 p.m. all days. Free for seniors on Thursday, free for children under 12 when accompanied by a parent or guardian.
grhomeboy
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