The Smile Politely Editors are comprised of Chris Maier, Justine Bursoni, Seth Fein, Marissa Monson and Lindsey Markel. They, along with Webmaster Mason Kessinger, are the founders of the magazine. They decide to highlight certain events going on in Champaign-Urbana in a democratic fashion, without bias, in order best to bring to you the finest information on the entertainment around town.
Taking cues from the perennial event up north in Chicago, Taste of Champaign hits West Side Park this weekend for its 38th year, exposing thousands of area residents to the "best" of what Champaign-Urbana restaurants have to offer.
The weekend is filled with plenty of activities for citizens of all ages, including live music from Backyard Tire Fire, Hurricane Gumbo and The Boat Drunks, the ever-present Jimmy Buffett tribute act regularly seen at community events.
In addition to all the food and fun, the Champaign Park District is doing its part to make this year a benefit as well, attempting to raise $10,000 in funds for its Youth Scholarship Fund.
And while all of this is a wonderful contribution to the social fabric of the community, questions in years past have risen: Why is there a McDonald's booth at the Taste of Champaign? And what about Applebee's? Are these restaurants really an accurate representation of what restaurants C-U has to offer, or do they merely represent restaurants that can afford the cost of renting a space at an event like this? Does it matter if the restaurants in attendance are run by Mom and Pop or by suits living in some other city?
Tell us your thoughts. In the meantime, we'll be there, stuffing our faces with one thing or another.
Comments (8)
Friday, June 20, 2008 5:04 PM
Come on, *everybody* knows there isn't a McDonald's booth this year...
I cite a local blog as proof:
http://lbotp.wordpress.com/
Friday, June 20, 2008 6:40 PM
Ha! I was going to cite LBOTP too! Blog scooped!
I think the food line up this year sounds great. I would be all over the Siam Terrace booth.
However, the musical line up continues of the tradition of being really, really horribly bad. I guess the organizers think that people only want to hear music that they are already familiar with. Unfortunately, I don't know if they are wrong about that one. Still, it would be nice if they extended the concept of getting a "taste" of what Champaign-Urbana *itself* has to offer to the music schedule.
Friday, June 20, 2008 10:27 PM
The big round tables kept a great many out of the music tents.
Last time I checked Siam is in Urbana in two locations.
The event seemed to small for the venue. You would think the urbana park district would take a hint. But their big imaginative way of funding the fee waiver program was to go the city as a non-profit.
You if they are really hurting then why are all those houses next to meadowbrook not in their taxing district? You can see the well worn paths. They clearly use it.
Saturday, June 21, 2008 7:33 AM
Ad, quit posting while you are drunk.
Yes, Siam Terrace is in Urbana. That is why is it nice that they are representing at Taste. What's your point?
Too small for the venue? Every time I've been there it's been so packed you can barely walk around.
And what does the Urbana Park District have to do with *anything*? The event has always been held in Champaign.
Saturday, June 21, 2008 8:33 AM
It's kind of misleading calling this thing the "Taste." To taste something means to sample it. However, it kind of stinks that we have to spend 4 or 5 bucks for one thing to eat. That certainly limits our ability to sample many different items, and I would assume that would be the point of the whole event. Why couldn't we get much smaller portions for a buck each? Certainly, many people probably love just going to one vendor per visit, but that really isn't that much different than going out to eat in Champaign and calling it a "Taste," too.
As always, I love the artwork on display, and the location is perfect.
Sunday, June 22, 2008 2:38 AM
Pro: Lots of booths had small Taste-sized portions that made it easy to sample different cuisines. I went on both Friday and Saturday, and nothing I ate cost more than 4 tickets ($2.25). Let's encourage and promote more of that, guys!
Con: Having to buy tickets in books of 9-for-$5. You can't go back and get just a couple more tickets to make the meal you want.
A lot of the round tables clustered in flocks around the music tents should have been distributed better throughout the park. It was hard to get a picnic table to eat at, when you want to talk to your friends rather than listen to a band.
Monday, June 23, 2008 5:30 AM
McDonald's and Applebee's? Didn't see them. We may not be Chicago, but our little Taste was nice. The weather played a big part, of course. Being able to eat a bit of food and check out some art and music -- all without walking away dripping with sweat -- was a pleasure. I ran into quite a few folks I hadn't seen in awhile, too. That's what a community event is all about, right?
Monday, June 23, 2008 10:49 PM
Was much fun.
Staffing the bike corral was very fulfilling. Nice to see non-vehicular travel so well utilized and appreciated. Got my wife to bike over with me on Friday (she usually drives to stuff in Champaign) and she biked over on her own on Saturday for lunch.
Had some good food. Local restaurants seemed well represented. Nice to have two different music venues going on at the same time. Overall appeared well organized.
I'll definitely come again next year and will likely volunteer as well.