Gyro. Is it pronounced “guy-row” or “jai-row?” Neither! But, at the 9th annual Central GA Greek Festival, you can get yourself a delicious gyro (pronounced “year-row”). Yes, among all the other festivities that will take place on the weekend of October 21st through the 23rd, there will be plenty of authentic Greek cuisine available at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church at 859 First Street in Macon.
The festival will commence at 11:00 am on Friday, October 21 and will end on Sunday, October 23 at 3:00 pm. There are regularly scheduled tours of the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church throughout. This beautiful property was purchased in 2004, underwent extensive renovations, and was officially opened in June of 2005.
The Hellenic Dancers of Marietta will make their way down to Macon to perform both traditional and modern dance shows for attendees. Be careful or you might just find yourself pulled from the crowd and joining right in with the merriment. And don’t worry; live music to help you tap your toes will be provided by the Muses Greek Band.
About a dozen vendors will be on hand so that you can take a piece of the festival home with you. You can get jewelry, imported clothing, souvenirs, religious artifacts, artwork, and more. There’s even a Greek market where you can buy your herbs, spices, and feta cheese.
Speaking of food, let’s get to the main event. The festival offers two special plates along with plenty of a la carte items. The Yiassou Special sports chicken souvlaki, Greek salad, and bread while the larger Opa Dinner Platter has all the same, plus pastisio, dolmada, and spanakopita.
Pastisio is a mixture of ground beef and pasta that has a creamy, baked topping. Spanakopita is a delicious spinach pie. Dolmades are grape leaves stuffed with seasoned beef and rice. Oh, and did we mention gyros? You can choose between a lamb and beef gyro or a chicken gyro sandwich. Both come topped with the famous tsadziki sauce made from yogurt, cucumbers, and herbs. For those with a sweet tooth, you can finish off your meal with ice cream or one of the many authentic Greek pastries, such as baklava, that will be available.
For a complete schedule of events, you can visit Holy Cross’s website or if you like to like things, head over to their Facebook page.
Opa!