Square Peg Events, LLC, presents Progressive Tastings: Celebrity Cocktails!, a downtown walking tour featuring food-and-beverage sampling, culture, and fun with local celebrities at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 13, and Artful Dining: Groove’n with Grant Wood, an art-enhanced dining experience offered in partnership with Grand Rapids Brewing Co. at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 19.
“These happenings have a little bit of grit, a little bit of sass, and a lot of fun,” said Cynthia Hagedorn, executive director of Square Peg Events. “I couldn’t be more thrilled about our June events. For the Progressive Tasting, we’re going to hang out with some awesome local celebrities at some fabulous downtown venues in an exquisite, sophisticated tour. And, I’m really excited to be at Grand Rapids Brewing Co. for our Artful Dining event. They provide a really fun environment and a terrific energy.”
Progressive Tastings: Celebrity Cocktails! will feature drink tastings paired with small-bite food samplings while highlighting some of the coolest venues in Grand Rapids. Todd Chance, entertainment concierge for MLive.com and the Grand Rapids Press will serve as “Rockstar Guest Tour Guide.” Other local “Rockstar” celebrities to be featured include Grand Rapids City Commissioner Rosalynn Bliss, Gilda's LaughFest Festival Director Joanne Roehm, and Experience Grand Rapids Vice President of Marketing Janet Korn.
Roehm said tour participants can expect great food, great drinks, great conversation, and a lot of laughs along the way, adding, “I’m thrilled to be a part of an event that’s showcasing all we have to offer in downtown Grand Rapids.”
Venues for the event include Gina’s Boutique and MoDiv, 40 Monroe Center St. NW; Gilly’s at The B.O.B., 20 Monroe Ave. NW; McFadden’s Restaurant & Saloon, 58 Ionia Ave. SW; and CityFlats Hotel Grand Rapids, 83 Monroe Center St. NW.
“This is not a pub crawl,” Hagedorn said. “There’s an educational component for intellectual, fun people who like to go out and learn something while enjoying a nice drink and interesting food pairings. This is a great way to discover Grand Rapids in an intimate setting with a knowledgeable and fun guide.”
Artful Dining: Groove’n with Grant Wood will feature live music, food, beer, and artistic opportunities in a private room at Grand Rapids Brewing Co., 1 Ionia Ave. SW. The popular progressive jazz-bluegrass band The Fauxgrass Quartet will perform.
“We’re gonna have a good ol’ artful American Gothic good time while immersing ourselves in the era and works of master artist Grant Wood,” Hagedorn said. “There will be opportunities to paint, explore, create, imagine, or just hang out and drink a perfect craft beer. The essence of the Artful Dining experience is to surround yourself in art, great food and fun people and to get into the groove of the artist.”
Shawn Blonk, general manager at Grand Rapids Brewing Co., said that participants can expect solid entertainment, great beer, amazing farm-to-table food, and a lot of great art. “From what I’ve experienced with Cynthia, it’ll be a really cool, laid-back scene,” he said. “We’re providing our private barn room for the event. It’s my favorite room. It has a great view of the brew house. It’s a beautiful space, and the band plays on top of the brew house overlooking the crowd. It's a one-of-a-kind stage. We’re going to have a great band to fill the space. It’ll be a great vibe.”
Ticket availability is limited to forty participants for Progressive Tastings: Celebrity Cocktails! and seventy-five participants for Artful Dining: Groove’n with Grant Wood. Advance sale tickets for Progressive Tastings: Celebrity Cocktails! are $40 per person; there are no door sales available for this event. Tickets for Artful Dining: Groove’n with Grant Wood are $18 until June 18, and $30 at the door. Groups are welcome at both events. Casual attire is appropriate. Participants must be twenty-one years of age or older. Tickets are nonrefundable. For more information, contact Square Peg Events at 616-510-3599 or e-mail [email protected]. Purchase tickets at www.squarepegevents.com.
Source: Square Peg Events, LLC
