On Saturday, the Taste of Grand Island was held at Town Commons, next to Town Hall. A small portion of Whitehaven Road was closed to traffic to provide more space for the event, which was organized by Corey McGowan Productions. The Taste of Grand Island is an annual event, that got its start in 2012, when its purpose was to serve as a fun way to unveil the newly painted mural at the back of the Grand Island Plaza. That mural was designed by professional artist Terry Klaaren, whose slogan is “Have brush, will travel” (link to Terry Klaaren’s website).
This year’s version of the Taste of Grand Island featured a wide variety of food choices, as well as other types of booths. Political candidates were out and campaigning and, I am happy to say, keeping things on a positive level.
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| Relay for Life fashion statements |
Various civic organizations were there, running contests and sharing information about the volunteer work that they do in the community.
The Grand Island Historical Society had an exhibit,
and the Grand Island Farm Co-op had a great variety of fresh produce and other foods, including delicious milk from Hoover Dairy in Niagara County.
There were businesses, advertising their goods and services.
The Buffalo and Erie County Bookmobile was there. I’d actually never been inside of it before, and it was really fun to tour a library on wheels. The selection of books, videos, CDs, etc., was much larger than I would have expected for the space that was available.
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| violinist Lena Pasqualetti |
There were pony rides for kids and live music.
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| Fat Lady’s Cakes and Pies, Inc. Their sweet potato pie cupcake was moist and thoroughly delicious. |
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| Shish ka Bob Heaven! |
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| Beverage to taste with Soma Cura |
And, of course, there was food. There was a great variety of foods being prepared and served, including salads, sandwiches, barbecue, and dessert.There was truly something to suit every taste.
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| This was from 773 North, a new restaurant that is set to open in November at the location vacated by the Peppermill. It features bratwurst, red cabbage, and spaetzle. |
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| Bacon wrapped shrimp, prepared by Jack’s, a restaurant in Niagara Falls. |
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| Roasted peach salad from Currents, a restaurant in the Radisson, on East River Road in Grand Island. |
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| Oh, look at Diane and Amy! They’ve become a cartoonie American Gothic! |
The food pics had me drooling and that sweet potato pie sounds decadent!!!
Seems like so much fun. I love the colors and variety at such fairs!
I think it's great when communities do things like this. Here we have "Taste of Del Ray" and the "Mount Vernon Art Fair"as big events, and First Thursdays (May to October) that highlight the local businesses and volunteer groups.
That looks so colorful and must have been a fun day!
Growing up, I depended on a weekly bookmobile that stopped every Thursday (during the school year) at my city housing project in the Bronx. I'd love to visit another one – it's been over 50 years since I've been in a bookmobile. And yes, they had a lot more books in that "bus" than you would imagine. I even dreamed about working in a bookmobile when I grew up. Fond memories.