CHEYENNE — What could be better than fresh gyros with tzatziki sauce, pastitsio, souvlaki, kataifi and … sorry, what were we talking about? Oh, yeah! Food that will be up for grabs at the annual Cheyenne Greek Festival.
You read that right, the longstanding tradition and highly anticipated Greek Festival in Cheyenne is returning for another year, thanks to Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Christian Church.
Taylor Olson, committee chairman of the Cheyenne Greek Festival since 2023, told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that he’s been attending and helping with Greek Fest since he was born.
As for how it’s changed? Well, there’s been a few things, Taylor said. “Foundationally, the event is the same, it’s just become more efficient as it’s grown.”
The church just turned 100, and although the festival hasn’t been around that long, there’s some history there. It started as a small bazaar back in the day and remained as such until about 37 years ago, when it became the Cheyenne Greek Festival the city knows today.
Some other new things happening at this year’s festival are the inclusion of Vino’s Liquor (they’ll be bringing Greek wine and Ouzo shots), and they’ll be bringing back loukoumathes for the first time since 2018. Loukoumathes are essentially deep-fried doughnuts; the word means “little bites.”
“One thing that Greek people really value about themselves and (their) culture is the hospitality (aspect). I think that’s why you see Greek festivals in many communities. It gives us the opportunity to share that hospitality and (culture).”
For readers unfamiliar with certain Greek foods, here are some examples. Gyros are classic staples in the Greek community; they’re seasoned beef or lamb on pita bread, served with onions, lettuce, tomatoes and tzatziki sauce. Moussaka is a baked casserole of eggplant, ground meat, tomato, onions and potatoes.
For some of the desserts, there will be bougatsa, which is semolina custard wrapped in filo (dough), and galaktoboureko, which is a custard pie topped with filo, honey and syrup.
The event is entirely run by more than 150 volunteers every year. Most of the volunteers help hand out the food and make sure operations run smoothly, while about 50 of those volunteers are cooking, grilling and preparing the food.
All the ingredients are shipped beforehand, but to ensure the food is as fresh as possible (and made with love), they freeze whatever they need to and bake any fresh goods (like bread) a few days beforehand.
The recipes all have been passed down in the church through generations. Since this event is such a highly anticipated staple in Cheyenne, the crew sometimes has to make hundreds of dozens of pastries and entrees to meet the demand.
The second day of the event starts at 11 a.m. and goes until they are completely sold out (or 8 p.m. at the latest), so make sure you get in line as early as possible if you want some fresh pastitsio or kalamari. This year, they’re taking cash, checks and credit cards. Single-serve pastries range from $3-$6, while entrees range from $5-$14. Olson explained how they try to keep the food financially accessible to the community, as it’s more about sharing the Greek culture with others and giving back than anything else.
There won’t just be food at the event, however. There are opportunities for “retail therapy,” where attendees can buy handcrafted jewelry and art from Greece courtesy of Kosmima Jewelry. For entertainment, there will be Cheyenne Greek dancers joined by guests from the Parea Greek Dancers coming up from Denver. The dancers will be accompanied by live Greek music courtesy of The Fasaria Trio from 6-8 p.m. Friday, and any other music will be played by ROW Productions.
Each year, the festival has a multitude of sponsors and a “Charity of Choice.” The festival committee expressed their gratitude to their presenting sponsor of more than a decade, Tyrrell Auto Centers. {span id=”docs-internal-guid-f5423859-7fff-4cfe-cf68-2cd3ba118538”}{span}As a way to give back to their chosen Charity of Choice, the charity is provided booth space at the festival.{/span}{/span} This year’s charity is Climb Wyoming, which helps those in the Cheyenne area to get free job training.
“(My favorite part about putting this event on) is seeing the joy on people’s faces and the joy it brings the community. Not just those attending, but those volunteering, too,” said Olson.
Many volunteers return year after year. In fact, Olson’s family has been a part of the Greek Festival for as long as he can remember. He told the WTE, “My grandmother was a part of (when it was) the bazaar. … My grandmother and great aunts and uncles (came too, and) I hear the stories. Just knowing the feeling that it gave me as I was growing up and that sense of family and pride, (I know) that it provides a really solid foundation for the festival and where it can go.”
