West Side Glory
Food stalls line up and light their grills, and we bop along, with ever-less-empty stomachs, from blintzes to burgers to quesadillas and back again. But something happens in-between hot helpings of these local treats. Townspeople gather. Business owners speak up. Friends laugh. Toddlers meet. Food fairs are great drivers of community, and the Rotary Club of West Springfield, which is producing West Side’s Taste of the Valley this week, knows it well. The four-day event will host a 5K run, a Saturday cruise night, and live music from the Truck Stop Troubadours, Relentless, FAT, Two Free Spirits, Tom Doherty Band, and more. But the main draw, naturally, is the food, provided by local businesses including Angelo’s, Millie’s Pierogi, Granville Country Store, Bernat’s Polish Deli, Crepes Tea House, Spuds Your Way, Burrito Revolution, and Bottega Cucina. Even Edible Arrangements will be there, which has us pumped. What better way to make new friends on a sunny day than to stroll the lawn with a colorful bucket, proffering cubes of melon on a stick?
West Side’s Taste of the Valley: Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m.; Friday from 4 to 11 p.m.; Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. All ages. Park Avenue Common, West Springfield center. westsidetaste.com.
— Hunter Styles, hstyles@valleyadvocate.com