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Greensboro. N.C
Aunnual Greek Festival has traditional food and dance
Kyle West
Staff Writer
Despite all of Hurricane Ivan's fury, there was
still cause for celebration at the 22nd Annual
Greek Food Festival. Lasting from Sept. 17 to Sept.
19, the festival was held at the Dormition of the
Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church on the corner of
Westridge and Friendly Avenue.
I had to go. As a member of Carole Hoppe's FYE,
The Greeks in Love and War, we were to go to the
festival for approximately three hours. The weather
was bad, pouring down in sheets at times, as
Hurricane Ivan raged over us.
Ivan had taken its toll on all of us as we waited
behind Bauman for our class to gather on Friday. At
around 4:40 p.m., we piled into the van that ferried
us over and back. I, along with the rest of the class,
was particularly excited about the food. Some of us
had enjoyed the gyros at the cafeteria at iimch that
day, and were starved for more.
Arriving at the festival, we stepped back into the
rain for the short walk from the parking lot, which
sadly was close to empty, to the church across the
street. Police were directing traffic, their bright
orange jackets standing out against the dark sky.
The church loomed ahead, and beside it were
numerous tents, all striped blue and white in imita
tion of the Greek flag.
Everywhere you could see Greeks in traditional
dress, milling about waiting for the music to start;
despite the depressing weather, the crowd of
approximately 100 was ready for a festive night.
We headed to the church's cafeteria first, eager to
eat. After a few moments of deciding whether to eat
CD review: The Dirty SouthUm Drive-by Truckers
Aaron Varnum
Staff Writer
Southern Rock is typically associated with beer
drinking and waving the Confederate flag, but
the Drive-By Truckers are not the typical Southern
Rock band. They are five-album veterans with
Southern accents and a balls-to-the-wall rock
sound, showcasing both sides of the "Southern
Thing."
The Truckers are smart, which shines through
their songwriting and musical structure. This has
always been the case for these Muscle Shoals,
Alabama, natives, but with the last two albums
it's really become apparent. In their previous
album, Decoration Day, the Truckers exposed
the listener to songs of family feuds, irate farm- ]
ers, and fatherly advice. On The Dirty South,
they write about similar themes, but the general
feel is much different. Musically, the songs are
not as crunching and guitar-driven as previous
efforts, but are more melodic and slower. "
After the first song, "Where the Devil Don't
Stay," an avid fan would realize this is a much
FEATURES
beef, chicken, or vegetarian, I chose the
"Athenian Chicken" and headed with my class
to indulge in some good food.
We got our food assembly line style, directed
by kind impromptu Greek lunch ladies. My plate
was full of food, from half a roasted chicken on
a bed of white rice, to Greek style beans and a
salad. Sitting down as a group, we ate and
laughed; the conversation swirled around Greek
food, and eventually the wonderful pastries we
had passed coming in.
After eating Carole handed each of our tables
a box of assorted pastries. My table got bakla
va. Those were possibly the best baklavas ever
made. Either that or I was still ravenous after
the two Greek salads and half of a chicken I con
sumed. According to classmate Jake Blumgart, the
food was "most delicious."
After such a wonderful meal only entertainment
could follow. As we finished, some live music was
starting in the cafeteria, and more was playing out-.
side in the main tent. Despite all the music, some of
us headed to the pastry room to buy a few boxes of
homemade Greek pastries. A few were still hungry,
and bought some gyros outside, eating them as we
sat and watched Greek youths attempt line dancing
in traditional clothing.
At first, it was just music from CDs being played,
as the younger children danced. Oddly enough, the
music was a blend of techno and traditional Greek
music. A few songs later, the older children jumped
in and did a few dances. Even though the rain
dampened some spirits, it was pretty hard not to
- different album than any previous DBT outing. It's
darker and the storytelling is almost creepy.
"Tornadoes," a song about a pair of twisters
=r wrecking a small town in Alabama, is an instantly
jt catchy song in which the chorus almost chokes me
i up. The Truckers have had this effect on me only
once before, and on this album it happens twice (the
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WWW.DRIVEBYTRUCKERS.COM
The Drive-By Truckers released
The Dirty South Aug. 24
www.guilfordian.com
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TALEISHA BOWEN/GUILFORDIAN
The Greek Festival's adult Opa dancers
clap to the music and thoroughly enjoy the dancing.
At around 7 p.m. the live band came on stage,
while the youngest children came out and danced.
All the girls wore black dresses with blue sashes,
and the boys wore sailor hats, white shirts and
black pants. After each dance, all the people
cheered, and eventually the adults joined in.
By the time we left, everyone of all ages had
joined in the dancing, laughing and singing along.
Our class felt a little too shy and lazy to join in, still
full from the dinner.
As we walked out, full of both food and enjoy
ment, I took a moment to look back on all the festiv
ities, all the people gathered on such a rotten day to
spend time amongst one another, and remarked to
a friend that it's too bad there isn't more of this any
where else.SH!
second being "The Sands of Iwo Jima").
"The Sands of Iwo Jima" is my personal favorite
song on The Dirty South. The lyrics are the story of
an old man explaining to his grandchildren about
World War II and how John Wayne was never there.
Singer Patterson Hood's usual growl is set aside for
a beautiful falsetto with his Southern twang still
intact.
"The Day John Henry Died," is a no-excuses rock
er that leaves your fists in the air 15 minutes after
you listen to it. Jason Isbell, the youngest Trucker
and newest member of the band, modeled this one
after the story his grandfather told him about John
Henry winning over the machine.
The Truckers bring the tempos down on The Dirty
South, but the impact is greatly increased. Each
song is a story that brings you into the action and
makes you experience the ups and downs of coming
from the South. This is almost a history lesson with
out the jackass teacher.
I definitely recommend this album for people famil
iar with The Drive-By Truckers, or any music fan
with an open mind. Check it out; it's not Lynyrd
Skynyrd, but it's pretty close.X
Sept. 24, 2004