The air of Albert Avenue was alive Saturday with the scents of everything from Buffalo Wild Wings sauce to Espresso Royale coffee on Saturday for the third annual Taste of East Lansing.
The aromas drew a crowd of various students and residents in the East Lansing area, such as advertising freshman Jacklyn Ho and alumnus Justin Gaines.
Ho, who was attending the event for the first time, said she simply wanted to see what it was all about.
Both were most excited for the food.
"There's definitely a lot of interesting places to eat in the area," Gaines said. "It's nice to have an opportunity to check all of them out together."
The event brought the city's abundance of different food vendors together throughout the afternoon. Attendees could purchase tickets on either end of the 200 block of Albert Avenue that could later be used to buy free samples of food from one of the 13 vendors.
A stage was also set up for three live bands to perform throughout the afternoon. Attendees were able to find a table or bench and enjoy various musical entertainment while indulging in their food samples.
The event was hosted by the Community Relations Coalition, a non-profit student organization designed to bring students and East Lansing community members together through various community outreach events.
Half of the proceeds from the event went to the East Lansing Haven House. The other half went to funding for the Community Relations Coalition.
Ginny Haas, a board member of the Community Relations Coalition, said they always host the event the weekend before finals week to give students a chance to relax and enjoy delicious food before their exams.
"We wanted an event that would be popular with both college students as well as families and East Lansing residents," she said. "We have activities set up for kids so parents can enjoy themselves. ... I think everybody has a really good time."
Volunteers from the Hometown Housing Partnership set up a photo booth for the children attending. Other volunteers from the Community Relations Coalition's pool of 10 interns had a tent set up for face painting.
Haas said the student interns are the heart of the organization and that they played a major role in making the event possible.
Jesus Vega, an international relations and economics junior, was in charge of booking entertainment for the event. He said that while the event serves as a good break for students, it's also important because it shows residents how well students and community members can work together.
"It brings such a diverse population together and shows that most students are actually here to get a diploma and be good students," he said. "It's just a good time for everyone all around."
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