You may have heard the music last weekend. If you drove down Westridge Road there’s no way you didn’t smell those delicious gyros. If all that lured you in, then you saw the sea of people that flooded the Greek Festival this year.From Sept. 25 – 27, the Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church held its 35th annual Greek Festival, celebrating Greek culture, community and charity by way of food, music, and dancing.

“Once again this year, even with unfavorable weather conditions, we found support from our community to join us for festivity in good food, music and entertainment,” said Eddie Merrell, a festival co-chairman.

With the support of what seemed like all of Greensboro, guests of Greek heritage as well as many other backgrounds took over the corner of Westridge and Friendly for a festival with an emphasis on tolerance and vast amounts of fun. It’s clear from the first step towards the tent that everyone there knows it.

“We get roughly 10,000 guests every year,” said Liz Contogiannis, the advertising affairs manager of the festival, as well as a bartender at the event.

“I’ve gone every other year since I was about five,” said Early College student Thomas Huff. “It’s gotten a lot more popular recently, but it’s always been crowded. People just come from all over for this festival”.

This year, the festival was just as open and welcoming as always, keeping with the rich history of Greek culture. With a large number of bands playing diverse instruments for an accomplished traditional sound as well as modern tones and food straight from Greece, the recreation of Greek culture was unmatched.

From tender Athenian chicken and sweet baklava to juicy gyros and flaky spanakopita, the food was a superb blend of traditional and modern cuisine. The tzatziki sauce on the gyros and the green beans in the Spartan vegetable plate all rang true of recipes straight from the homeland.

“The food is definitely the way it should be,” said Huff. “A lot of the people working at the festival are either first or second generation directly from Greece.”

With food this delicious and a huge crowd overwhelmed with hunger, this can mean only one thing: long lines. And though the lines were certainly tedious, they were worth the wait, especially since they weren’t your traditionally polarizing single-file type.

The smell of delicious Greek food in combination with the energy of the event, as well as the live traditional Greek music, made people a little too eager to form proper lines – this made crowding more common and yet oddly, more entertaining as well.

Throughout the event, it was difficult to walk three feet without bumping into someone who is willing to chat or dance with you, but this is especially true around the tents. Much like at Guilford, the Greek Festival is largely about community.

“The individuals that make up this community of believers possess a deeper wisdom than just the basic material pleasures of this world,” said Father Thomas Newlin of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church.

With that as the charitable foundation, a portion of the proceeds was donated to the Family Service of the Piedmont Inc. – Clara House. The community spirit and moving cause helped 35th Greek Festival live up to all expectations and its own vivid history.

“We were very honored by the many families that came out to join us and to enjoy this event,” said Merrell. “We were also very excited to see the interest in our church, our new priest, and the culture that is found in our Christian faith.”

Looking out on the dance floor, folks of all ages enjoy the music, expressing their joy through their fast-moving feet and constant smiles. It’s hard to deny that the community here truly knows how to have fun and give back.

Opa!