4-10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church, 2215 Paseo Road, free; 634-5678, amgoc.org.
Something else: Greek dancing, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday.
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Ouzo. Pastitsio. Gyros. Opa!
The Greek food, dancing and hospitality will be in full effect this weekend at the 17th annual Greek Festival. It runs Friday through Sunday at Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church.
"The atmosphere is strong as far as acceptance and having fun," said Norm Struck, event director. "We want people to really enjoy everything."
People come for the homemade food, including Greek pastries, meatballs, roasted chicken and Colorado lamb, a souvenir shop full of Greek imports, beer, Greek wine, licorice-flavored ouzo and Greek dancing.
Two groups of Hellenic dancers from Denver will perform multiple times on Saturday, and Kleftes dancers with origins to the island of Crete will perform twice on Sunday.
About 3,000 people attend the church's biggest fundraiser of the year. Last year's event raised more then $30,000.
Greek festivals are a tradition, Struck says. Every village in Greece has a church and each one holds a festival on the main day of the figure the church is named for. That changed when Greeks immigrated to the United States and began to hold festivals on nonspecific dates.
JENNIFER MULSON, THE GAZETTE, 636-0270, JEN.MULSON@GAZETTE.COM
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