16th Annual Taste Around Avalon
AVALON—Join Love Catalina Island on June 2 for the increasingly popular 16th annual event, Taste Around Avalon and enjoy the delicious tastes of delectable food & beverages from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at some of Avalon’s finest dining establishments. The event will kick off at Wrigley Stage with a brief welcome and introduction from Love Catalina Island. Guests can vote for their favorite “Tastes” of food, drink, and dessert as the Best Taste of the Year. Winning establishments are awarded $100 each. The Taste Around of Avalon is the official kick-off to Avalon Restaurant Week which is June 3-9.
The event is still scheduling restaurant participants; however, Love Catalina Island anticipates 15-18 participants.
How it works, guests will purchase a Voting Card and then stroll through Avalon to visit each participating establishment to sample their “Tastes.” In the past, there were approximately 800 “Tasters” overall.
Voting Cards will be available for advance purchase at the Love Catalina Visitor Center on the Green Pleasure Pier from May 30 through June 1, for $2 per card. Voting Cards will also be available for purchase at the Visitor Center the day of the event or at the Love Catalina table on Wrigley Stage during the night of the event for $3 per card. Please be sure to validate each person’s card in the “Validate” box (located on the left side of the card next to your business name) with a stamp/punch or initials. Participating businesses may charge guests $1 or $2 per “Taste” or offer free “Tastes.” Businesses may offer up to three different “Tastes” in the food category and one “Taste” each in the cocktail, non-alcoholic drink, and dessert categories.
“Tastes” will only be given to those with an official Voting Card. If a “Taster” stops by your establishment without a Voting Card, please direct them to Wrigley Stage to buy one.
Voting Cards may either be turned in at the last establishment visited or at the Love Catalina table at Wrigley Stage by 9 p.m. the night of the event. Love Catalina encourages people to drop them off at the stage. Love Catalina staff will contact each establishment on June 3 to pick up any completed Voting Cards.
The establishment with the most votes for “Best Taste of Food,” “Best Taste of Drink, with alcohol,” “Best Taste of Drink, without alcohol,” and “Best Taste of Dessert” will each be awarded $100 and a certificate of recognition.
Businesses are encouraged to be creative and use this event as an opportunity to promote an existing coupon or offer or create something new that can be handed out to guests during the Taste Around. The idea of Taste Around Avalon is to offer a small “Taste” of what you have or to encourage return business.
For Participating Businesses:
Participation is free to all Love Catalina members. Participation in Taste Around Avalon is open to non-members at the cost of $40 per establishment. A form must be completed and returned to Love Catalina Visitor Center on the Green Pleasure Pier or faxed to (310) 510-7606; only one form can be submitted per establishment and all forms must be turned in by May 23.
Non-member payments must be an enclosed check payable to Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau.
For more information or to request a form for participation, visit www.lovecatalina.com or email janet@lovecatalina.com.
April 2022 stats are as follows:
People aboard boats 3468
Vessels Moored 867
Vessels Anchored 63
Moorings Sold / Transferred 0 / 0
Citations Issued / Discharges 0 / 0
Total Cruise Ship Passengers / Visits: 13,921 / 9
Average Temp – High 66
Average Temp – Low 53
Average Sea Temp- 62
Rain (inches)- .04
Rain Days- 1
Weather Warnings- 15
Additional Harbor Patrol Stats:
• Extinguished 2 small fires, one in a trash can on Casino Way, the other at an electrical panel on the pier
• Assisted with 3 Medical calls
• Responded to 84 Public Assist calls
• Completed 303 Security Patrols
• Had 14 Enforcement encounters