By Barbara Arnstein
One of the longest-running Macedonian Festivals in North America is happening at the Sts. Cyril & Methody Macedonian Orthodox Church in Blasdell, NY this weekend. The 32nd Annual festival runs this weekend Friday, July 8-9 from noon-midnight and continues on Sunday, July 10 from noon-9pm. There will be plenty of live music, dancing, food and drink, as well as cultural displays and tours of the church. The fantastic food alone is a reason to go, including the sizzling Shish Kebabs and the honey-drenched Baklava desserts!
Anyone can join in the lively folk dancing. The traditional Macedonian dancing will continue all weekend. You don’t need a partner or any previous experience. They’ll be happy to show you the simple, enjoyable steps. The exciting band providing the music for the traditional dancing is Balkan Entertainment, formed from two groups: Orkestar Biser and Grupa Rumba. John Petlichkov plays the accordian and keyboards, and Mile Jovanovski handles the guitar, the tapan (a large Macedonian drum) and vocals. Chris Dimovski plays the clarinet and saxophone as well as providing vocals, while Alex Ilievski handles keyboards and vocals, and Chris Kondovski plays the clarinet and saxophone, like the other Chris does.
The songs are all in Macedonian, but they’re very rhythmic and pleasant to hear, even if you can’t understand the words. I asked the President of the church, Suzanne Mitskovski, for the lyrics of a traditional song, and she sent me a link to a lovely rendition of a song praising the beauty and grace of Macedonian women. Its translation includes the words, “there have never been women like them and there won’t be again”, and “their hair is like silk”, along with similar similes.
About the foods at the festival, she said, “People look forward to these foods! There are kebab and lamb dinners, beef and pork sandwiches, and barbequed chicken served with rice, potatoes and bread. There is a meatless kebab choice, made with cabbage, rice and mushrooms, and Macedonian potatoes, which are made with a savory sauce, peppers and onions. Portions are very generous! The desserts include homemade baked goods, with spinach, cheese and apple fillings, cakes and cookies made with walnuts, honey and apples, almond cookies, coconut cookies, tulumba (honey-dipped fried dough, which is lighter than baklava), and more. The drinks are served in a beer and wine tent, and you can get both Macedonian and American coffee and more.
The Macedonian Festival will happen at 4785 Lake Avenue (the Sts. Cyril & Methody Macedonian Orthodox Church) in Blasdell between McKinley Parkway and Abbott Road. It is not far from the Wegman’s in that area (a few stoplights away). For more information, call (716) 417-0098 or go to @cyrilmethodybuffalo.