Suffolk prepares for annual food celebration

Want to find great food, fabulous entertainment, and plenty of children’s activities all within walking distance of each other? Take a bite out of the annual Taste of Suffolk street festival on Saturday, from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. in downtown Suffolk.

Taste of Suffolk is in its sixth year, having attracted residents, as well as visitors, from all over Hampton Roads.

The event site will be on Main Street and will stretch from Finney Avenue to Washington Street. The road will be lined with merchandise vendors displaying a variety of goods and services, restaurants from all over Suffolk presenting some of their specialty food items, and entertainment designed to get everyone on their feet.

Taste of Suffolk will feature some of Suffolk’s best eateries offering a limited menu of their best cuisine offerings.

Participating restaurants include U3C Italian Ice, Coldstone Creamery, The Broken Egg Bistro, C3Vino, The Catering Place, Al Forno Pizzeria, Island Krave/Jammin’ Jerk BBQ, N’Dulge Eclectic Cuisine, Mosaic, Ricky and Roy’s Catering, Divine Creations, Madigan’s, Da’lish, The Baron’s Pub/Amici’s, Rosa’s Coffee Cantina and Harper’s Table.

Tasty food offerings will include pizza, Asian-style ribs, pulled pork and beef, jerk chicken and pork, Italian ice, assorted cheeses and cupcakes. Restaurants will be offering these items at minimal pricing, allowing event attendees to try food from some of Suffolk’s best eateries.

A variety of entertainment is scheduled for the Taste of Suffolk. This year’s festival will feature three stages located at Washington Street, Market Street, and Finney Avenue.

The Suffolk Art League will host an exhibit of student artwork and will have a hands-on booth, where participants can make Suffolk Spirit Flags. These flags will be strung together and used to create an interactive installation art piece to be displayed at Taste of Suffolk and the Suffolk Peanut Festival.

Groups of students as well as individuals can make flags of their own at Taste of Suffolk. Groups interested should contact the Suffolk Art League at 925-0448 to confirm there will be enough space.

Various food-related contests will be held throughout the day, to include the first Buffalo Wild Wings Hot Wing Challenge, which will be held at the Washington Street Stage at 2:15 p.m. There will also be a jalapeño-eating contest and additional contests for children.

Those who are interested in participating in the adult eating contests can sign up at the information tent. Those interested in participating in the children’s contests can sign up at the Children’s Area information tent.

For contest times and further information, call Jason Pittman at 514-7268.

The Taste of Suffolk Children’s Area once again will be at the First Baptist Church parking lot on Main Street. The kid’s area will have bounce houses, clowns and face painters, a rock climbing wall, trackless train ride, a fun bubble activity and a recycled craft activity with the Scrap Exchange.

Costumed characters will stroll throughout the site during the day, and a petting zoo will be set up at the Oderzo Fountain area, located beside the courthouse, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Nearly 30 vendors will be onsite featuring everything from home improvement items to handmade fabric pieces to decorative items. A new car exhibition featuring cars from Duke Automotive, Starr Motors, and Mike Duman Auto Sales will be onsite showing cars that are available for sale.

Roads will be blocked for the festival beginning at 5:30 a.m. Road closures will be at Finney Avenue and North Main Street, Oakdale Terrace, Freemason Street and Finney Avenue, Market Street at Washington Street, and Bank Street at Commerce Street. The roads will reopen at 8 p.m.

For more information, visit www.suffolkva.us/TasteofSuffolk.

2012 Taste of Suffolk participating restaurants

• Al Forno Pizzeria
• Baron’s Pub/Amici’s
• C3 Vino
• Cold Stone Creamery
• Da’Lish
• Divine Creations
• Harper’s Table
• Island Krave/Jammin Jerk BBQ
• Madigans
• Mosaic by Holland’s
• N’Dulge Eclectic Cuisine
• Ricky & Roy’s
• Rosa’s Coffee Cantina
• The Broken Egg
• The Catering Place
• The Plaid Turnip
• U3C Italian Ice

Taste of Suffolk entertainment schedule

Finney Avenue Stage Schedule

• 11 a.m. Peanut City Cloggers
• 12:15 p.m. C-Shells, local children’s duo
• 2 p.m. The Boys, a cappella quintet of Suffolk young men
• 3 p.m. Beauty for Ashes Dance and Theatre Company
• 4:15 p.m. Mosaic Steel Pan Drum Orchestra, presented by the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts

Washington Street Stage

• 12:45 p.m. Deloreans, 80’s music
• 2:30 p.m. Tailgate Down, contemporary country music
• 4-5:45 p.m. Strictly Bizzness, dance music

Market Street Stage

• 12 p.m. Ju Ju Drum, drumming workshop
• 1 p.m. Ju Ju Drum, drumming workshop
• 2-2:30 p.m. The Foster’s, Suffolk family trio
• 3:30 p.m. Nadia and her students, belly dance demonstration