Food might be the biggest draw of this weekend’s Greek festival in Denver, but the event will also feature traditional dancing and Greek music, including the band, Etho Ellas, which translates to “Here’s Greece.” Band member George Andretsos of Denver will play guitar along with his sons John on drums, Evan on bouzouki and Chris on clarinet.
Andretsos and his sons said the annual festival, which is marking its 60th anniversary, played an important role in their upbringing with memories of eating, dancing and socializing with family and friends, both Greek and non-Greek.
“Really the overarching piece of our festival is that we want to give back to the community and show what the Denver Greeks are all about,” Andretsos said.
Andretsos’ father came to Colorado from Greece after World War II when a large wave of Greek immigrants was arriving in the state. His mother was born in the United States to Greek parents.
An earlier wave of Greeks came to Colorado in the late 1800s and early 1900s when immigrants from around the world were drawn to the state by the promise of jobs in the mines and on the railroads. Eventually Greek immigrants began opening grocery stores and other small businesses in a downtown area that came to be known as Greek Town.
The festival, which will be held Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 7 at Denver’s Assumption Greek Orthodox Cathedral, dates back to the 1960s when community members organized a modest fundraiser with homemade pastries and a few cultural performances to support church activities. This year, it is expected to draw at least 20,000 people.
George Andretsos said his interest in Greek music dates back to his youth. He remembers his grandfather coming back after a trip to Greece with a bouzouki, a long-necked, teardrop-shaped Greek instrument that bears some resemblance to a guitar.
“My grandfather told me, you're going to learn how to play this, but you got to learn on the guitar first. So that was my inspiration,” Andretsos said.
He learned the bouzouki but returned to guitar when he and a friend formed a Greek band in 1995 with another bouzouki player. While the bouzouki dates back to ancient Greece, Andretsos said the guitar was only added about a hundred years ago as a way to give the music more bass and depth.
Andretsos’ son Evan, who is the band’s current bouzouki player, said, like his father, he started out playing guitar. He remembers transitioning to the bouzouki wasn’t easy.
“It's tuned differently. It plays differently, but it has such an incredible and unique sound.”
Etho Ellas will be playing every couple of hours throughout the weekend at the festival, both traditional and more modern Greek music. Organizers say the event aims to have some type of entertainment going on at all times, including an opportunity for festival goers to learn traditional Greek dancing.
“Our dance teachers come up and we'll go real slow and teach you the moves. And then by the time you're done, you're dancing like a Greek,” Andretsos said.
The festival kicks off on Friday, June 5 at 11:00 am and wraps up Sunday, June 7 at 6:00 pm. General admission is $5, $3 for seniors, and children 12 and under are free.
