If you have attended the Taste of Grand Rapids event in the past, get ready to head north this year as it departs John Ball Park and opens shop at Comstock Park's Fifth Third Ballpark.
New this year will be the merging of the West Michigan Trucking Show with this annual event, so it remains to be seen if the two audiences can play nice together.
The 15th Annual Taste of Grand Rapids will once again include live, family-friendly entertainment featuring a large array of area musicians -- a trend that has increased more and more with each passing year.
The musical entertainment will also feature classic country singer Aaron Tippin on Friday night. On Saturday, the closing show will be Lookin' Back, a Bob Seger tribute band. (No complaints, purists; it's a free show.)
And just like every year, the Taste event is the site of the officially state-sanctioned barbecue competition in which the best of the Midwest will compete for the title of the State of Michigan Barbecue Champion.
Teams will compete by serving up their best barbecued ribs, chicken, pork, side dishes, and more. The winner will advance to Kansas City to compete for a national title against teams from across the country. If you have never attended a barbecue competition, then you must head to the Ballpark this weekend for some of the very best barbecue you will ever have in our area -- until next year.
But the real stars of the weekend will be the 25 participating local restaurants, many of which are true mom and pop shops of our region (read: not chains). The list includes Bobby J's, Moo-ville Creamery, Chinatown, Donk's Mexican Joint, Twisted Rooster, Café San Juan, Chez Olga, Jamaican Dave's, Sandmann's BBQ, Flo's Restaurant and Sports Bar, Su Casa, Louis Benton Steakhouse, Gun Lake Casino, Noodles & Company, XO Asian Cuisine, Mad Dogs, The Melting Pot, Koeze's, Brann's, Red Robin, Schondelmayer Bar-B-Q, Culver's, Firehouse Subs, and Fat Boy Burger.
Admission: Free to attend, but a taste will cost you a food ticket, which can be purchased on site. If you drive, expect to pay $6 for parking or ditch the car and ride your bike via the White Pine Trail.
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