March 03, 2010 Adam Sherwood

avsherwood1@yahoo.com

    Ever wonder what it would be like to live in downtown Statesboro? If so you should check out Taste of the Town, the First Friday event taking place this coming Friday. The concept is simple: local businesses and restaurants team up to deliver a night of food and fun for Statesboro residents.
    “We really want people to know about everything downtown has to offer,” said Allen Muldrew of the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority. “There are some shops that are unique to Statesboro that you can’t find anywhere else,” Muldrew said. The event takes place twice a year; this being the third time the event has been held.
    Participants gather at the courthouse around 5:30 p.m. For five dollars they are given a ticket which is essentially a map of downtown. A local restaurant is paired with a shop and as folks visit each business for an “open house” of sorts, they will also be treated to a sampling of the many fine foods offered by Statesboro’s numerous restaurants.
    “A lot of the stores have specials going on during the event,” explained Muldrew.
    There will also be music set up at various places along the town route to provide some atmosphere while residents explore.
Participants must be sure to get their tickets signed at each store they visit. At the end of the night (which will be around 7:30 p.m.) completed tickets will be eligible to win gifts certificates and other door prizes.
    “We’re going for a carnival type atmosphere,” Muldrew explained. Children will be able to bounce to their little hearts’ content in the moonwalk attractions.  Also, at 7:30 p.m. there will be a showing of the Disney movie “Ratatouille” at the Averitt Center – admission is free. The Center will also be offering free popcorn and lemonade for viewers to snack on. “We want people to come and bring sleeping bags and blankets,” Muldrew said, adding, “We want people to kick back and have a good time.”
    Taste of the Town, along with other First Friday events, are designed to help promote downtown living. Muldrew hopes that people will be able to appreciate the quality businesses, restaurants, and culture downtown Statesboro engenders. “We’ve got some really cool lofts available,” said Muldrew. So if you’re particularly intrigued by Taste of the Town, you can live right in the thick of things in one of the downtown lofts.
    For GSU students who’d love to go but don’t want to walk all the way to downtown, don’t worry. The Georgia Southern Student Union will shuttle students from campus to downtown and back again to serve those without their own transportation. Also Blue Goose will provide shuttle services around the area.
    For more information about Taste of the Town and other First Friday events you can call the Statesboro Downtown Development Authority at (912) 764-7227.

Print

E-Mail Story

News Letter Sign up

« Previous Story | Next Story »