Ya’ssoo Greek Festival celebrates faith, family and fun with the community
You may not be Greek when you arrive at the Ya’ssoo Greek Festival, but you will leave with a greater appreciation for Greek heritage. This three-day festival, run entirely by St. George Greek Orthodox Church volunteers, highlights Greek culture with music, folk dancing,
children’s activities, church tours and food — lots and lots of food.
This Memorial Day weekend festival presents Greek foods beyond familiar favorites like souvlaki, baklava and spanakopita. Among items available for purchase will be dolmades (grape leaves), tiropites (cheese pies), kourambiethes (butter cookies dusted with powdered sugar), galatoboureko (custard filled Filo dough in syrup), saganaki (flaming Greek cheese) and Greek French fries with lemon, oregano, and feta cheese.
A loukoumades (balls of fried dough dipped in honey) eating contest is scheduled for 4 p.m. on May 29. Learn more
about Greek food during cooking demonstrations at 6 p.m. May 27 and 4:30 p.m. May 28 and 29. You also won’t
want to miss the all-in-good-fun Golden Koutala Cooking Competition between St. George and St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Troy.
“The festival is a real labor of love,” said organizer Katherine Sheiko. “It’s about keeping traditions alive and sharing Greek culture with the community.”
The Ya’ssoo Festival is a popular event that continues to grow each year. A fundraiser for the church, members are
proud to provide tours of the church at 7 p.m. May 27, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. May 28 and 2 p.m. May 29.
Music also plays a significant role with performances scheduled by the Enigma band and the Aegean Roots folk
band. Friday night will feature the Dave
Bennett Quartet—an honorary Greek!
The Dancers of St. George will present Greek folk dancing and those attending can join the fun during Oh-Lee MahZee! open dancing all three days of the
festival. On May 28, REVMA Dancers from Nativity of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church and Lana will perform.
Detroit Tigers mascot Paws will make an appearance at 1 p.m. May 29 too. “He’s not Greek, but that’s OK,” joked Sheiko.
Cost is $3 for visitors aged 13 and older and free for younger children or anyone who brings three canned goods for the Lighthouse of Oakland County. St. George Greek Orthodox Church is located at 43816 Woodward Avenue just north of Square Lake Rd in Bloomfield Hills. For a schedule of events, visit yassoogreekfestival.com.