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Taste of East Lansing boasts local cuisine

April 27, 2015
<p>People eat food while sitting on a curb April 25, 2015, on Albert Ave. during Taste of East Lansing. The event featured various live musical performances, food from restaurants in the area, and children's activities. Allyson Telgenhof/The State News.</p>

People eat food while sitting on a curb April 25, 2015, on Albert Ave. during Taste of East Lansing. The event featured various live musical performances, food from restaurants in the area, and children's activities. Allyson Telgenhof/The State News.

Put on by the East Lansing Community Relations Coalition, Taste of East Lansing features a number of local vendors hosting food tents to sell sample-sized portions of some of their menu items. Some of the more popular items of the day included boneless wings from Buffalo Wild Wings, fried ice cream from Harper’s Restaurant & Brewpub and desserts from The State Room Restaurant.

“The goal is just to get people together and see the community in a positive light,” City Manager George Lahanas said.

The weather was warm and sunny and crowds poured in all afternoon as the MSU spring football game let out. The event is held in the spring before students leave to bring up the number of attendees.

Ticket sales went directly to support CRC and the event partner, Capital Area Housing Partnership. Twenty-five percent of the day’s revenue went toward beautification of the East Lansing neighborhoods.

The Lief Gerhart-Hall group took the stage to provide live jazz music as the event began at 3 p.m. A cappella student groups such as the Spartan Dischords, Acafellas and State of Fifths also performed.

The event was planned by the CRC as a way to build productive relationships between long-time East Lansing residents and MSU students.

“A lot of the time, students and residents don’t have a reason to interact,” said Megan Clark, the city representative on the CRC board. “But at an event like this, everybody loves food.”

CRC was formed in the fall of 1999 in reaction to several disturbances within the community the previous spring. The organization brings on students, residents, city and university officials to help ease lifestyle tensions in the community.

“I have met so many amazing long-term residents who live in this city. It is very refreshing to spend time with older folks after spending so much time in the university bubble,” said CRC intern Andrew Jason. “I would highly recommend students to participate in community events, go to city council meetings or even just meet the neighbors next door.”

CRC puts on several events each year to foster community relations including ice cream socials and neighborhood clean-ups.

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