Event aims to show off tastiness of downtown

April 25, 2007
By Dave Alexander
Chronicle Business Editor

Promoters hope Muskegon's array of locally owned restaurants will help showcase the redevelopment of the downtown with a new event this June.

The Taste of Muskegon will be June 23-24 on West Western Avenue between Third and Fourth streets. It will be styled after similar events in cities like Chicago, where patrons are able to taste the signature items from local restaurants.

The first Taste of Muskegon will be in conjunction with an annual classic car show that has been staged the last four years in downtown Muskegon.

With the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts not having its annual BBQ Fest taste-testing festival this summer, Allen Serio from Digital Dining -- a restaurant point of sales software company -- suggested a "Taste" event to officials with Muskegon Main Street, which is part of a national nonprofit program to revitalize America's downtowns

"Muskegon-area residents love their local hot spots, and this Taste event will be a great celebration of food in an outdoor summer festival atmosphere," said Serio, who has connections with the local restaurant industry and is the event's chairman. "We are sure this event will bring lots of people to downtown Muskegon to witness the transformation that is taking place."

Muskegon Main Street is sponsoring Taste of Muskegon in conjunction with Racquet's Downtown Grill.

Muskegon Main Street Manager Dan Rinsema-Sybenga said the event will be limited to 20 restaurants. Early participants include Racquets, the Sardine Room, 750 Grill, Scales and the Tipsy Toad.

Restaurant participants will be asked to provide "taste" portions of their favorite offerings that can be sold for $1 to $4 per serving. Patrons sampling the restaurant offerings will be asked to vote for "people's choice" awards.

"We hope this will become a Muskegon tradition," Rinsema-Sybenga said. "This allows the restaurants to show off their best stuff."

The restaurant food booths will be set up along West Western Avenue from Third to Fourth streets, while the Muskegon Main Street Car Show will be on West Western from Fourth to Seventh streets. Promoters hope to attract 120 or more cars for the car show, which will be Saturday June 23.

The Taste festival will begin Friday night, June 22, after the scheduled Parties in the Park at Hackley Park, with a beer tent in the West Western Avenue parking lot next to the Holiday Inn Muskegon Harbor. Beverages and entertainment will be provided by Racquets throughout the weekend.

Organizers hope the Saturday afternoon portion of the festival will serve as sort of "tailgate party" for the Muskegon Thunder indoor football team, which has a game at the nearby L.C. Walker Arena that night, Rinsema-Sybenga said. The Taste event will still be going on after the game.

Taste of Muskegon is just one of the events and activities that Muskegon Main Street is organizing and promoting as the new downtown Muskegon begins to take shape. Community leaders and public officials have been working on the demolition of the old Muskegon Mall and redevelopment of the mall site into a commercial, retail and residential center.

© 2007 Muskegon Chronicle. Used with permission