Friday, June 11, 2004

East Point Rising: A Taste of Main Street ’ The East Point Main Street Association will host “East Point Rising: A Taste of Main Street,” the city’s first “taste” event, this Saturday from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. on Whiteway in historic downtown East Point. The City of East Point will shut down the block of Whiteway, between Main Street and East Point Street to set up the festival that will feature the food of over a dozen local restaurants and live music throughout the evening. This event is designed to showcase all that this hidden jewel of a city, south of I-20 has to offer. Downtown East Point has experienced incredible growth over the past few years and has seen the influx of residents and businesses, including a wide-range of restaurant choices. The food choices in downtown East Point include a diverse mix from Mexican, to Cajun, to Southern style, to Italian and American cuisine. Some of the restaurants that have signed on to participate this year include: El Carnicera; East Point Corner Tavern; Jester’s Café; Liz & Lee’s Live; Main Street Bar & Grill; Matilda Bean; Oz Pizza; Patio Daddy-O BBQ; Q’s Restaurant; The Chicken House; Turning Point Co-op, and others. Rick Westbrook, owner of Jester’s Café, committed that “its really exciting to see our unique corner of the world start to blossom. This event will be a great way for our little jewel, inside the perimeter, to shine.” Long time East Point resident and business-owner; Mike Daughtery says of the event, “East Point is reaching out in a positive way to invite all the communities from around metro Atlanta to come take a look at our city, of which we are so proud. We are excited and welcome all to enjoy.” Main Street Coordinator, Erica Rocker added, “Our downtown district features live Blues/Jazz, dining choices, coffee bars, shops and residential lofts in which our residents can live, work and play. The Taste of Main Street event is the perfect platform to showcase all that East Point has to offer.” The festival will also include a stage, offering a variety of music from jazz, pop, rock, funk and blues. East Point resident and event producer, Suzanne Baugh of Q&A Entertainment stated, “We wanted to have a festival that included a diverse mix of music that is representative of the diversity of our city. It’s really about having something for everyone to enjoy, no matter what your taste in food and music- just like East Point.” East Point, with a population of nearly 40,000 people was voted critics pick for “Best suburb inside the perimeter” in Creative Loafing’s 2003 “Best of” issue. Located three exits north of the airport, and seven minutes south of downtown Atlanta- East Point is conveniently located to just about anywhere in the metro Atlanta area. As more people are beginning to discover this quaint city, it has experienced an unparalleled growth spurt in the last few years. Event organizers now hope to capitalize on the growth and publicity that East Point has garnered recently. By showcasing their downtown businesses, and including entertainment in the festival, backers believe that they can offer an incentive for newcomers and regulars alike to come discover what this city is all about- good food, good music, good people and great fun for everyone! For directions and event information please call 404-767-5170.