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Mostly Sunny 20% chance of rain HIGH LOW 79 58

Tuesday, September 27, 2011 Issue 30 I N D E P E N D E N T

Vol. 118 S T U D E N T

PUBLISHED SINCE 1906

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Greek Fest returns to Knoxville, draws crowds 32nd annual Greek Fest showcases Greek culture with ethnic food, jewelry, clothing Holly Patton Staff Writer As drivers traveled up and down Kingston Pike, floods of people carrying packages of savory food, ornate jewelry and ethnic clothing could be seen streaming down the sidewalks. All weekend long, Knoxville residents explored the annual Greek Fest put on by St. George Greek Orthodox Church. This year marked the 32nd anniversary of the Greek Fest. For a mere $2 day pass or $3 weekend pass, Knoxvillians were immersed in the world of Greek culture. As in previous years, the customers were not lacking in number. “The weather is usually the controlling factor for success,” vendor Mike Nassios said. “We feel very fortunate.” One of the many charms about this festival is its atmosphere of authentic Greek culture. Customers roamed through the replicated sights and aromatic smells seeking one of the festival’s main attractions: the food. “They had so many different kinds of food,” junior Jordan Bernadini said. “I’m not usually one to try foreign food, but it all looked so appetizing. It just tasted fresh and the desserts were amazing.” Among the dessert options were the sticky and sweet Loukoumades, a kind of Greek donut topped with warm honey and cinnamon. This, like many other foods vendors sold, was an old family recipe and was seen in the hands of many of the customers.

“We start preparing and cooking in the spring,” Nassios said. “One hundred percent of the stuff is homemade.” Visitors were provided with background music as they congregated and shopped. Traditional Greek numbers played and dancers fell into step — many of these moves were similar to those seen in the flash mob that broke out in Market Square last week. “I wasn’t in Market Square when the flash mob broke out, but I saw the video online,” Bernadini said. “The dancing at the actual festival was like it, and looked like a lot of fun. It’s a cool tradition that they have in their culture.” In addition to the food and music, customers meandered indoors to find the tables dedicated to jewelry, clothes and other miscellaneous objects all echoing the traditional Greek culture. The festival attracted not only faithful customers from throughout the years, but also some that had a sentimental attachment to the church itself. “We’re in from out of town, and we wanted to help out,” volunteer Pete Couladis said. “My wife went here growing up.” This year’s Greek Fest was a success — food and fellowship, two of the Greek’s cultural aspects, were seen and enjoyed by the many who came out to support. This festival brought invaluable meaning to many of those Krystal Oliva • The Daily Beacon running it. “We not only got to share our culture with Performers dance during a show at Greek Fest on Saturday, Sept. 24. Greek Fest, in the community, but also our religion,” Nassios its 32nd year of operation, featured traditional dances, foods and clothes that brought authentic Greek culture to the heart of East Tennessee. said.

Native American Student Association hosts coffee, desert in I-House Victoria Wright Staff Writer

Madeline Brown • The Daily Beacon

Patrons at the Hola Festival browse though offerings at a stand with a number of colorful bracelets on Saturday, Sept. 24. The Hola Festival features food, music, arts and crafts as part of the Hispanic Heritage Month.

If music is the universal connector of the soul, then food serves as the cultural connector of the mind, and the stomach. Students who are part of the Native American Student Association (NASA) hosted a Native American Coffee House in the Great Room in the International House last Tuesday evening. Approximately 30 students enjoyed free dessert, the opportunity to see authentic Native American beadwork, and organic, free trade coffee from Cherokee, N.C. Graduate student in information sciences Jessica Torrance taught visitors a recipe for peach crisp, a staple Navajo desert. “I’m part Native American — a very tiny part,” Torrance said chuckling. “It’s an important part of my family history and an important part of my identity.” Torrance is also a member of the Native American Student Association. The amount of butter used for the dessert would make an Paula Dean enthusiast proud, though Torrance said the butter used for the dessert needs to be cold to create the crisping effect. Students enjoyed re-made deserts for time purposes. The dessert was similar to a peach cobbler. It included large chunks of peaches and gooey bits of pastry in a sweet gelatin mixture. Students appeared to enjoy the dish as empty bowls scraped clean stacked quickly on a table near the kitchen. “It was delicious. It just sort of melts in your mouth,” Alexandra Chiasson, freshman in English and Asian studies, said. Chiasson, though interested in cultural studies, admitted that she was not familiar with Native American culture.

“I knew nothing,” Chiasson said. “It’s all completely new.” NASA president Brittani Blanchard hoped the event served as insight to visitors curious about Native American culture. “(At) all of our events, we like to display Native American culture,” Blanchard, junior in psychology, said. “We want to serve people of campus something different than what they’re used to.” In addition to Navajo culture, Cherokee and Choctaw influences were also represented. In the far left corner of the room, intricate and colorful bead creations were displayed on a table. Mercedes Cotton, a member of the NASA and the Choctaw tribe, brought the designs in for display from a family member in Mississippi. “I wanted to actually get my culture out there and let people know there’s other tribes than just Cherokee,” Cotton, junior in math, said. Cotton explained that many students are familiar with the Cherokee tribe but are unaware of Choctaw culture. She presented beaded earrings, necklaces and sashes that can be worn as belts. Each design had hues of red, white, black and orange called “sunburst” colors. Cotton explained that these colors represent the sunset and sunrise in the tribe. “The sun is very important to us because we used the sun to guide us to go home or hunting,” Cotton said. Blanchard hopes that similar events can continue and spread awareness of Native American culture. “It’s to keep the tradition alive,” Blanchard said. “It’s a minority tradition, and I think it’s really special when people get to see how that has grown and how it prevails.”


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