By Victoria Pavlock
The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Jamestown, New York, is hosting their 39th annual Yassou Festival this upcoming weekend. The festival will be held on Friday June 16th from 11am-10pmm, and Saturday June 17th from 11am-9pm. The name of the festival “Yassou” communicates exactly what to expect when attending this cultural retreat. “Yassou” is a Greek saying used as a casual greeting to a person or group of people. The Yassou Festival greets and welcomes the entire community to experience Greek culture through food, drink, music, dance, and more.
The Yassou Festival started as an idea in 1984 from Father Nicholas Rafael, who wanted to do something to raise funds for the church, according to Alexis Singleton. The festival initially started out as just being a car raffle and has evolved into the Greek party everyone looks forward to today. “Even this year is different from last year but the core of hospitality and culture still remains”-Singleton.
This little taste of Greece located right in Jamestown, New York has so much to offer in just two days. A large variety of traditional Greek dishes and pastries will make you feel as if you are in the country. A Loukoumades Sundae, lamb shanks, and souvlaki are just some of many cuisines you will be offered at the Yassou Festival. There will also be a Greek Grocery at the festival which includes Greek foods you can take home and enjoy. This year’s grocery will be featuring Spanos Olive Oil imported from Greece! After your stomachs are full from trying all of these cultural flavors, adults will be provided with Greek beer and wine to enjoy. Traditional, live Bouzouki Music and Dancing will tie in the whole experience. These performances will take place on Friday, June 16th, at 5pm and 8pm, along with shows on Saturday, June 17th, at 1, 5, and 8pm. Extra entertainment for the kids will also be provided with balloon art and air-brush tattoos. You can even take home a part of this magnificent culture at the Greek Boutique which will also include religious goods.
The Yassou Festival is very important and sentimental to many belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church, but is a completely nondenominational festival and is in no way exclusive to religion. Anyone from anywhere is welcomed to enjoy the festivities of celebrating Greek culture this upcoming weekend.
Singleton stated that the festival is a key factor within the church and its annual budget. “We need to do this fundraiser in order to support the operation of the church”. Along with the money the Yassou Festival is able to bring in, the memories and collaborations that come along with it are just as important. “There is an enriching aspect of local quality of life. All different kinds of people come to meet and greet one another and it makes for this big, fun party”, says Singleton.
Church tours will be held at the Yassou Festival on Friday and Saturday at 2pm and 4pm for anyone that is interested in seeing and learning about one of the few Greek Orthodox Churches within the area. “The tour is very customized to whoever is there and we will offer information about the building, service, religion, etc.”, says Singleton.
Whether rain or shine, you can find the Yassou Festival under the big tent located on Mount Vernon Pl. and Francis St. in Jamestown this weekend on June 16th and 17th. Admission will be $3 for adults and free for children under 12. The festival now accepts credit cards and two admission tables to reduce the waiting time to enter. With there being an estimated turnout of around 3,000 people, a modified layout and a new menu will be acquired for the convenience of the guests. There is a website that guests will be able to view the menu on through a QR code so that they can have time to decide what they want to order while waiting in line.