Batavia Block Party/Taste of Batavia 2016

Sep 13, 2016 19:38

This actually happened a week ago Sunday, but I've been so busy--and, frankly, I was disappointed enough--that I wasn't able to get to it until now.

We do generally look forward to the Taste. It started off really awesome and was a great way to try out different restaurants in the downtown area. Plus, it was just $2 to start. However, last year, the price went up to $3, and you have to buy food tickets for most places, and it's just really not anywhere near as nice as it used to be. It's all corralled onto the Riverwalk, which isn't a bad idea, but because so many of the places sell alcohol--and primarily alcohol--that means there are only so many access points, so the main entrance gets tight. Not great. Also, the ticket booth is right there, so as soon as you enter there's this long line. There's just the one ticket booth. I can sort of see doing tickets, what with the pricing being $3; that's a lot of singles for the individual booths to go through. And yet, cash is so much simpler in a lot of ways. I don't know.

When we got there, the lines were long and stretched out into the area where people should be eating, so we ended up going and looking at the classic car show across the river. To our surprise, our former next-door neighbor was there showing off an old car--like, '20s or '30s old. I had just recognized his name on the placard in the window when he called my dad's name, and they talked for a few minutes. We haven't seen him in probably six years, maybe longer. Mom and I then kept wandering, and she was funny, not realizing that some cars were just parked on the street and the car show formed around them. No, I don't think a Hyundai Sonata is part of the car show.

Back on the west side, dad got in line for food tickets, but I wanted to see what the booths even had to offer before doing that. My parents were stunned that I hadn't memorized what was going on, but hey, it's been crazy busy and I barely was home (that was the week of the special event where I worked a 12-hour day, then crashed the next day--I was lucky I was coherent that Sunday). So many of the booths were mainly alcohol. Like, one booth seriously had just one food item, which didn't interest me, and then three drink choices. It's the Taste of Batavia, not the Drink of Batavia. Also, one booth appeared to have sold out of its food, so no point in going there. The last place we looked at was this food truck that had tacos, and I know I've gotten their food before, and the lady who was sitting outside the truck said they took cash, so, well, we were sold. I fetched dad from the ticket line before he spent any money and got in line for tacos. I'd already made batch #2 of tomato sauce that day and wasn't super hungry, so one taco sufficed for me, except I got the same kind as my dad (he'd gotten three--all of them were barbacoa) and they were all on one plate, so I had to put mine on a napkin--not ideal since it was a bit drippy with the sauce/juices. Mom got a cheeseburger and fries. The interesting moment came because this super-tall kid, we're talking at least seven feet tall, was in line behind me. The wait for the tacos was about 10 minutes, so we stood at the side of the truck while the people behind us ordered. There was this canopy over the order window, which likely closed that area when the truck was not in use, and your average person could stand under it, no problem; this kid totally had to duck. And then he dropped a food ticket, and knowing I was way closer to the ground than he was, I picked it up for him. Now that is a tall drink of water.

We got there about 5:30, and I think at 6 or so the main band came on, Dick Diamond and the Dusters. This is a group with a strong schtick, but the thing is, they can play. And, the bass player performs on roller skates. The stage at the Riverwalk is higher than the ground, and the bassist got so close to the edge a few times that I thought he would fall off. He did not and just kept playing. I was impressed. We weren't that far from a speaker, so it was loud, and dad and I both agreed on that, but this is how hard of hearing my mom is: She was the closest of us to it and it really didn't bother her. Wow, mom. That should be a sign. I can say I was impressed by this older lady, at least as old as my parents, who was getting down with her bad self. Now there is someone who dances like nobody's watching. I had to admire her.

If not for the band, the night likely would have been a downer. I've really not been impressed with the food selection these past few years. I was very tempted to write a letter to someone in charge over there, asking them to bring it back to being about the food and perhaps modifying the layout to make more sense, but again it was a busy weekend and then week, so that didn't happen. Now, over a week later, I don't know that I would do it, but who knows.

dad, mom, family, festivals

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