We have so much fun each year at Opa! Fest because the annual event at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Troy, Michigan, truly feels like a celebration.
Greek music, dancing, culture, and food (oh! the food!) is again on the menu June 25-27 at Opa! Fest on the St. Nicholas grounds, and it's definitely a party worth attending.
The festival, now in its 17th year and the largest ongoing Greek festival in metro Detroit, has many of the things you'd expect to find at a church fund raiser, like kids' games, raffles, food and beer tents.
If you love Greek food and baked goods, you absolutely need to get the Opa! Fest early in the day as some of the most popular selections are gone by early afternoon.
You can get a hand stamp that will get you back into the festival, so you can get your food fix, take your pastry purchases home, and return later in the evening to enjoy some Greek beer or Ouzo while watching the entertainment.
Last year, we had an early lunch of hot and cold dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), sausage, spinach pie, feta cheese, and kalamata olives.
Then it was off to the bakery counter to buy some pastries and crusty bread to take home--all baked by what appears to be an army of elderly Greek ladies and their helpers. Sure, you can get baklava, brownies, or chocolate chip cookies, but there are so many more options!
I had little clue how pastries with names like thiples, galatobouriko, karithopita, kataifi, koulouria, kourambiedes, melomacarona, paximadia, tiropita, or tsoureki might taste. When I asked for suggestions, a young lady behind the counter hastened to help me--and when a kid behind a cookie counter enthusiastically says "these are my favorites", I pay attention. She helped me make some great choices!
The entertainment each day generally starts with performances by the youngest Greek dance groups, followed by progressively older dancers and ending in the evenings with the most skilled teen and adult dance groups.
I enjoy seeing the dancers' traditional costumes, and the church often has a display of some of the more intricate costumes.
Want to learn some Greek dancing? Be sure to check out the dance lessons on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Opa! Fest usually schedules plenty of local talent to
entertain the crowds, but organizers occasionally book a bigger name act.
Three years ago, Opa! Fest featured sixth-place finalist from the fourth season of American Idol and Tony-award nominee, Constantine Maroulis, and the internationally known Pavlo, the Toronto-based "Greek God of Guitar" played last year.
While both of those acts drew big crowds, it's the food, dance, and fun most folks seem to come for at Opa! Fest each year. The festival drew 11,000 people in 2008, with an entertainment bill of local talent.
Enigma, a seven-piece Detroit-area band featuring a mix traditional Greek music and contemporary Greek music like Laika (Greek pop music), performs throughout all three days of the festival this year.
While much of the action takes place outside, there are cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, and a marketplace inside.
Drop a couple of dollars into the tin-can raffle boxes to take a chance on winning a big basket full of gifts. I was lucky enough to win a basket full of Greek food products one year.
St. Nicholas is a beautiful church, so you should make sure you visit the sanctuary for a look at the unique architecture and religious art or to just catch a few moments of quiet time during the festival.
Admission is $2 (children under 12 get in free). You can donate three cans of food for Gleaners in lieu of the admission charge.
Parking is free at nearby Walsh College, and there is limited handicapped parking only at the church. The church provides free, continuous shuttle service between the college and the church, and we've never had to wait more than a few minutes for a ride.
Note:
"Where I live" posts are part of a series of periodic stories about special events and people in, and around, metro Detroit. "Where I live" posts are stories I'll post in addition to my regular schedule of stories about attractions around the larger Midwestern region. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.
© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved
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