TASTE OF ARMENIA FESTIVAL AND CULTURE SUNDAY
By Bob Seidenberg [email protected]
Evanston Review
Aug 27 2009
Every year before the Taste of Armenia, members of St. James Armenian
Church of Evanston, the festival sponsor, host a bake sale table at
the Evanston farmers market.
There they sell their homemade delicacies that are so painstaking to
make — the kata bread with its thousands of flaky layers, choereg
(the Armenian version of challah) and baklava.
They also see how interest is building for their festival — to be
held from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30, at 816 Clark St., between
Benson and Sherman avenues.
"I must hand out a thousand fliers and everybody says, ‘Oh I know
about this, it’s on my calendar,’" said Gary Rejebian, the festival’s
cultural chairman. "I can’t wait to be there."
As many as 1,000 people stream through the street, taking in the
sights and particularly rich aromas of the Armenian festival.
Members of St. James serve charcoal-grilled kebabs and homemade
delicacies, including healthy salads, ‘sarma’ rolls with fresh-picked
grape leaves ("nothing canned," Rejebian insists); pastries; and
steaming cups of Armenian coffee — fortunes are told on request.
The festival also adds a full day of cultural offerings drawn from
across the country, he said, highlighting ancient and modern aspects
of the people who comprise the first Christian nation.
This year’s festival highlights include:
â~@¢ Live music for line dancing all afternoon by the HYE VIBES;
â~@¢ A performance by the Chicago Armenian Dance Ensemble (4 p.m.)’
â~@¢ A film festival of short movies by students at the Manana Youth
Center in Yerevan (award recipients at the Chicago International
Children’s Film Festival) and an exhibition of photographs of Armenia
by Manana students;
â~@¢ Cooking demonstrations;
â~@¢ Jewelry created by Armenian artisans; and
â~@¢ An exhibition of Armenian inscribed carpets.
For more information, call the church at (847) 864-6263; visit
tasteofarmenia.org online or the Facebook page:
373636644
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