HIGHLAND — The Downtown Restaurant Crawl will shift from dining rooms to the streets for one big night Sept. 28.
The crawl has been held the last Tuesday of every month for the past year as various downtown restaurants offer special menus for patrons.
It is sponsored by the Highland Main Street group.
A super version of it is planned from 4 to 9 p.m. Sept. 28.
The downtown will be cordoned off to make way for this special event to celebrate the crawl's first anniversary, said Redevelopment Director Kathy DeGuilio-Fox.
There'll be picnic tables on Highway Avenue from Second Street to Kennedy Avenue and from Kennedy to Fifth Street.
"Almost like a big party in the street," DeGuilio-Fox said, noting people can take their food from the restaurants outside to the picnic tables.
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The restaurants planning to participate are The Counter, Dan's Pierogies, The Green Witch Café, Growlers, Jose's Family Restaurant, Langel's Pizza, Sakura Bowl, Sip, Traditions and Fuzzyline Brewing.
Three bands will donate their time for to provide live entertainment. They are the Crossthreads, Casa Casa and My Altered Angel.
DeGuilio-Fox said the event also will feature a car show on the north side of the community parking lot at Highway and Kennedy.
"It is not going to be vintage cars. It's going to be what they're calling new cars" with customized paints, lights and other new features, she said.
DeGuilio-Fox said organizers have high hopes for the event.
"If this works out well, perhaps we can do it a number of times next year," she said.
In other business, the council approved a $3.3 million cost for improvements at various parks and Park Department equipment over the next several years.
While nothing is official yet, Park Superintendent Alex Brown said a dog park could be one of those improvements.
There is a large tract of vacant land, owned by NIPSCO, adjacent to Vyto's Pharmacy on Kennedy.
It lies next to the bike trail and could be a good spot for trail patrons to take their dogs for recreation, he said.
Brown said he hoped NIPSCO would approve the plan if it advances.
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