The 5th annual Taste of Michigan City countered the occasional rain shower to show off an assortment of flavors Friday, August 2nd. Aligned with the monthly First Friday Art Walk, the available food sampling was a tasty treat in addition to the monthly art displays.
“This is the third year we’ve come to the taste,” said Taste attendee Bethany Lee. “We’ve really enjoyed getting a sense of what some of the different local businesses have to offer,” she continued.
Restaurants participating in providing taste provisions were abundant and included: India House, Maroney’s, Scartozzi’s, Sahara Restaurant, Fiesta Valenciana, Bubbles, Lakeshore Coffee, Soda Dog, Miller Pizza, The Rolling Stonebaker, Azteca, Albano’s Pizza, Little Tokoyo, Spire, Arturo’s Baked Goods & More and Cabo’s. In case people were in search of a liquid palette cleansing, attendees were also privy to the tastes of a beer and wine garden supplied by the local businesses of Shady Creek Winery, Shoreline, and Back Road Breweries.
Recently opened in April of this year, Maroney’s Restaurant, located on Highway 12, was pleased to introduce the community to their classic tastes of grilled sweet corn, three cheese jalapeno poppers wrapped in bacon and beef kabobs.
“I enjoy being outside, cooking on the grill and being with friends,” said a Maroney’s cook, Matt Lindsey. “Maroney’s is the best food around."
A two day event, the Taste of Michigan City set the weekend off to a pleasant start with musical entertainment in addition to the plethora of taste testing. Acoustic musician Marco started the night out Friday afternoon and was followed by the sounds of the family group, Loose Strings, and a live DJ performance.
The band, Loose Strings, asked to play by The First United Methodist Church. They brought to the Taste the sounds of a “family blend of voices,” as member of the group Kristel Anderson said. “My favorite part is to see people we’ve known for years and reconnect with them. We wouldn’t ordinarily get a chance to see these people; it’s just great to see people that we haven’t seen in forever.”
Loose Strings has been playing together as a family for the past four years. The band performs festivals, private parties and assortment of other shows. For more information regarding the band contact Dan Moser at Dan@KrisKross.biz.
Organized by the Michigan City Main Street Association, the Taste of Michigan City has been a successful addition to the area's growing Uptown Arts district. In addition to the food tasting, entertainment and general community gathering, the Taste also provided a fundraising opportunity for Michigan City’s Stepping Stone Shelter. Charlie Roberts, an active volunteer with the Main Street Association and Assistant Vice President and branch manager for one of the major sponsors of the Taste, Horizon Bank, was the victim of a friendly dunk tank in which all proceeds were donated to Stepping stone. For more information regarding the Uptown Arts district and the Main Street Association please see http://uptownartsdistrict.org
People enjoying the event were pleased with the outcome of the Taste this year. With the introduction of the Uptown Arts District events in Michigan City, the surrounding sense of community has significantly developed.
“It’s nice to see the community really grow,” said taste participant Scott Bayer. “I grew up in this area and eighteen years ago I would have never expected this from Michigan City.”
Click here to view more photos from the event!