June Jubilee events mark start of summer in downtown Kalamazoo

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Displays of original local artwork; Greek dancing, food and music; and a satirical parade through the streets of downtown kick off summer events Thursday through Saturday, June 4-6.

Dionysos Greek Festival

Heavy metal band Skid Row will be featured alongside traditional Greek fare at the 39th annual Dionysos Greek Festival Thursday through Saturday, June 4-6, at Arcadia Creek Festival Place.

Gates open at 11 a.m. each day, and admission is free until 4 p.m.

Admission

• Thursday, $10 from 4 to 10 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday, $10 from 4 to 7 p.m. and $15 from 7 p.m. to midnight.
• After 7 p.m., people younger than 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

Festival highlights

Entertainment includes music from heavy metal band Skid Row at 10:15 p.m. on Friday. Canadian hard rock band Theory of a Deadman will perform at 10:15 p.m. on Saturday.

The festival also will offer more traditional Greek entertainment during the day, including several performances from Detroit's The Levendes, a full Greek orchestra that will be accompanied by Greek dancers and belly dancers, as well as a slew of authentic Greek food and beverages. This year, the Middle Eastern School of Dance also will be featured.

The festival's main staple—handmade food from Stacy Skartsiaris, owner of Theo & Stacy's Restaurant—will include popular items such as loukoumathes, a dessert similar to an elephant ear that is deep-fried and covered with honey and cinnamon; mousaka, a Greek casserole; spinach pie; grape leaves; and Skartsiaris' cookies.

Alcohol will include Ouzo, a Greek licorice liquor, and the Dionysos Wine Garden featuring Greek wines.

For more information, visit kalamazoogreekfest.com. 

Art on the Mall

Original works of art and fine crafts will be sold by more than 75 local artists along the downtown Kalamazoo Mall from Michigan Avenue to Lovell Street Friday and Saturday, June 5-6.

Sale hours are Friday from noon to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Art for sale includes jewelry, pottery, unique garden art, sculptures and more. Artists come from throughout the Midwest as well as southwest Michigan. Downtown merchants will join in by hosting a summer in the city sales event.

Art on the Mall is sponsored by the Arts Council of Kalamazoo.

For more information, visit kalamazooarts.org. 

Do-Dah Parade

Downtown's annual Do-Dah Parade Saturday, June 6, is an event-filled kickoff to summer known as June Jubilee and one of many events packed into a lively weekend.

Local people will dress the part of parodies, spoofs and characters and parade along the streets of downtown Kalamazoo beginning at 11 a.m. The parade follows the traditional route, starting at the corner of Jasper and Lovell streets, proceeding west on Lovell, north on Park Street, east on West Michigan Avenue and south on Portage Street.

A lineup of businesses, nonprofit organizations and individuals will goof-it-up using everything from animals, colorful costumes and makeup, to decorated vehicles, music and more. Known for its parodies and spoofs, the parade is expected to last more than an hour and attract tens of thousands of spectators.

The annual parade dates back to 1984 in Kalamazoo and was modeled after the original Do-Dah Parade in Pasadena, California, begun in 1978. This year's sponsors include WKFR 103.3 FM and Downtown Kalamazoo Inc.

For more information, visit downtownkalamazoo.org.

For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.