Taste of Highland Park Concert Coming Up; The Buckinghams to Perform August 29th

Nostalgia tops evening entertainment at Taste

August 4, 2009
By KENNETH L R. PATCHEN Correspondent

American English and The Buckinghams are the featured night-time entertainers at this year's late-August Taste of Highland Park during the Port Clinton Art Festival.

The 16 participating restaurants include four newcomers this summer: Abigail's, Fuddruckers, Norton's, and Sushi Kushi Too.

In addition, the Taste of Highland dining area has been expanded to better accommodate everyone.

In many ways, this Taste is the same time, same place, and same set-up of specialty food-serving stations as last year's event.

Families can eat during the art fair and entertainment will be on the stage at Central Avenue and Second Street.

The Taste opens at 6 p.m. Friday night Aug. 28 with food and entertainment by the Beatles tribute band American English until 10 p.m.

Food and entertainment is offered all day Saturday during the Art Festival from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Aug. 29, with The Buckinghams on stage at 6 p.m. followed by the rhythm and blues of the Motown era by R-Gang until 10 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 30, the last day of the Art Festival features entertainment all day with special guest Robbie Gold from noon to 1 p.m.

During the day, Saturday and Sunday, Cirrus Falcon will play music from the 1960s, '70s and '80s and the Apple Tree Theater Traveling Troupe will perform. For children, the balloon man will return.

"There's been a great demand to be in the Taste," Hersch said.

Participating restaurants include: BBQ Pit, Bluegrass, Cafe Central, City Park Grill, Jade Cafe, Lincolnshire Gourmet, Lou Malnati's Pizza, N.Y. Slices, Sam's Wine & Spirits, Tamales... A Mexican Joint, and Sunset Foods.

The point of the Taste, other than to offer residents a wonderful experience in their own downtown, Hersch said, is to promote local restaurants and allow them to showcase their unique dishes.

Restaurants will offer up to six food and six choices of beverage and will be located along the north side of Central Avenue between First and Second streets.

Based on last year's experience, Hersch said, Taste works very well for everyone. People from outside Highland Park and local residents are coming to attend the Port Clinton Art Festival, to enjoy the food, and to do some shopping.

"There were a lot of people with shopping bags," she said, which suggests people were here for more than food, music and art.

Anticipation is high on both sides of the cash registers.

"This year I've already had calls from people asking when it will be," Hersch said. "We're inundated with calls from people wanting to be part of this."

American English will play music by The Beatles, an English band active in the 1960s, which sang songs such as: "Blue Jay Way," "Yer Blues," and "For You Blue."

The Buckinghams are known for: "Kind of a Drag," "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," "Don't You Care," "Hey Baby, They're Playing Our Song," and "Susan."

Robbie Gold sings: "Her Last Song," "Sarah's Song," and "A Shade Away from Gone."

Story posted at: http://www.pioneerlocal.com/highlandpark/news/1700597,highland-park-first-taste-080609-s1.article

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