Diet? What diet? It's Taste of Roselle time
Picky eaters may want to perk up their ears and pick up their forks.
The Taste of Roselle is about to challenge the most selective of palates with a wide range of dishes at this year's annual food fest that runs Friday through Sunday, Aug. 2-4.
“We have 32 vendors. We have anything from pizza to ribs to gourmet cookies, cakes and doughnuts,” event Chairman Marc Hoarle said.
Mexican, Italian and Greek cuisine will vie for hungry festgoers' attention, competing with various versions of meatball, Philly cheesesteak and gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, sausages, brats, tacos, egg rolls and Bundt cakes.
At least eight of those vendors are from Roselle, while the others are from points beyond, he said. There's also a beer and wine tent sponsored by the Roselle Lions Club and the Roselle Chamber of Commerce.
Backyard chefs can get in on the food preparation game, too. A barbecue cook-off presented by Roselle Park District from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday will feature competitions in four categories: hamburgers, chicken, beef and pork. The cost to enter is $5. For details, visit www.rparks.org.
The Taste gets started at 6 p.m. Friday with an opening ceremony that will feature remarks from Mayor Andy Maglio.
It also will include a craft fair featuring more than 40 crafters, Hoarle said. Crafters will be selling their products from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Chamber-sponsored bingo games will be played from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday and 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday. There also are children's bingo games from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Those games are free with the donation of a canned food item for the Bloomingdale Township Food Pantry.
Also for kids, there's the midway with kiddie rides and games during festival hours.
Rock, rhythm and blues and jazz bands will keep the entertainment tent lively each night and Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Headliners include Pitchy and the 44s on Friday, classic rock from Voyage on Saturday and Black Bolt on Sunday. There's also a gospel show from the Christian Tabernacle Church Choir at noon Sunday.
The long-standing annual event, marking its 38th year, is being hosted this year by the Roselle Lions Club, said Hoarle, a club member, with the village's cooperation.
“The Roselle Lions Club has taken over the bulk of the organizing of the event,” he said.
Funds raised at the Taste will continue to be used for projects that benefit the community, he said.
“The Roselle Lions Club gives back 100 percent of proceeds to the community,” Hoarle said.