Story posted Wednesday, June 24, 2009
'Taste' Serves Up Extra Helpings
The expanded Taste of Park Ridge will run from July 9 to July 11 featuring food, music, and other attractions.
The summer festival was expanded in 2009 with more food booths, extra serving hours, and a new "Community Day" to salute the services of Park Ridge's many organizations.
For the second year, Taste food booths and entertainment will be on Summit Avenue from Prospect Avenue to Touhy Avenue. Food offerings are being expanded, with many local restaurants participating.
The vendor list includes:
All on the Road Catering, Tasty Pup, Baked by Betsy, Café Zalute, Chase's Root Beer, Dairy Queen, Dominic's Kitchen Store, Uncle Dan's Pizza, Elliot's Off Broadway, Jason's Deli, Hay Caramba, J.D. Kadd's, Lisa's Italian Ice, Maki Sushi, Morningfields, The Dawg House Grill, 'Ritas on the Run, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, St. John Chriostomos Monastery, Siam Thai, Spuntino Pizza, Tea Lula, WineStyles, Subway, and Three Olives.
Hours for the taste will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. all three days. Thursday is designated as Community Day, Friday as Seniors' Day and Saturday as Children's Day.
On Friday, seniors will enjoy a free movie, "Slumdog Millionaire," at 10 a.m. at the Pickwick Theatre. There will also be Bingo with a celebrity Bingo caller - radio personality Mike North.
Additional fest areas will extend south of the tracks to Hodges Park, and merchant sidewalk sales are planned throughout the Uptown area.
The Park Ridge Fine Arts Symphony will present a program of Broadway hits on Friday night. There will be a variety of live band music during other evening hours and on Saturday. They include Celtic Groundhogs, Chicago Rat Pack, and Chicago Catz on Thursday, The Safes, CoverGurl, and Backstage Pass on Friday, and The Legends and 7th Heaven on Saturday.
On Saturday, Hodges Park will host children's games, rides, and other attractions while booths on Courtland Avenue will give visitors information about local businesses and community and social service groups.
In addition, other musical and dance groups will appear. Other features this year include a mini auto show, a juggler, face painting, and a balloon-twisting clown.
Major sponsors of the festival include Journal & Topics Newspapers, Harris Bank, ARC Disposal, Abt Electronics, the Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Comcast, Bredemann Auto Group, DiFranco Orthodontics, Ragnar Benson, Parkview Bank, Academic Tutoring, Liberty Bank for Savings, Resurrection Healthcare, Autumn Tree Care, Top Golf, Koenig and Strey, George S. May International, Uptown, Dominic's Kitchen, Rainbow Hospice, The Summit, JP Morgan Chase, Activision Electric, Pines of Park Ridge, Blackline Partners, and Thillens.
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