Charlotte’s Greek Festival – Yiasou!

The employees at Blackhawk had a fabulous friend in our late colleague, Angie Stathakis. She made all our lives richer with her kind and thoughtful ways. Through her enthusiasm for her church’s annual festival, she imparted a desire to attend. The first September that I worked here, Angie came to my desk and offered me tickets to the festival. Having attended sporadically over the years, I knew what fun it was so I readily accepted and my daughter and I went. We had such a good time that we never want to miss again! It’s too late for 2012, but do earmark your calendar for next September so you can look up the date.

A visit to Yiasou!, Charlotte’s Greek Festival is never complete without:

EATING ~ try not eating for about a week
[you won’t regret it]. The selection of luscious, authentic Greek food will surpass your expectations [dishes like roast lamb, gyros, dolmades and spanokopita to name but a few]

PASTRIES ~ don’t go home without a bag. You can buy delectable homemade phyllo pastries to take home, freeze and nibble on during future sugar lows. Warning: there’s baklava and then there’s Greek Festival baklava. You’ll never taste any as divine anywhere else. Including in Greece itself.

SHOPPING AND LEARNING ~ do tour the Greek cultural exhibits and shop the vendors’ booths for art items not commonly found at fairs; you’ll learn something about a different culture and can make a purchase or two.

DANCING ~ take time to watch the children and youth tirelessly perform folk dances in one of several locations on the grounds. You can’t help but love the jovial, traditional Greek music.

LIGHTING A CANDLE ~ it’s worth a short wait to experience the atmosphere inside Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral. If you have never seen it, please put this taste-of -Europe-in-Charlotte on your bucket list of special “things to do in The Queen City”.

I mentioned to an acquaintance who was selling pastries that we miss Angie. She assured me that this was a sentiment widespread among the church community as well. I’ll never be able to attend the festival without thinking about Angie, our dear, gentle friend.