Those looking for a fun and festive local event after July 4 should check out the inaugural International Food and Beer Festival on Friday, July 8 behind Andrews Memorial Town Hall from 4 to 8 p.m.

In an effort to celebrate the diversity found within Clinton as well as attract people to the downtown, the Placemakers decided to host a festival intended to delight foodies and local residents alike. The event will feature about 20 vendors selling foods from different countries including Poland, Italy, and Afghanistan to India, China, Mexico, and of course the USA. Beers from around the world will be offered as refreshment as will Italian wines.

Besides the food and drink there will be entertainment from different cultures such as Irish step dancers and Italian opera singers.

The event is being coordinated by the Placemakers and the Clinton Chamber of Commerce. Corporate sponsors include Schumack Engineered Construction/Indian River Enterprises, Sweitzer Waste Removal, and the Harbor News/Zip06.com.

While Clinton is a majority White town like many other shoreline towns, it’s more diverse than one might first assume off the bat. According to the latest census data, more than 10 percent of residents were born somewhere other than the United States and roughly the same number speaks a language other than English at home.

Paul Orsini, the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce and one of the representatives of the Placemakers, said earlier in 2022, “It’s not really well known how diverse we are. The idea for the day is to give some visibility to the different cultures found in our town as well as attract an audience of people from all along the shoreline.”

The idea for the festival dates back to last year when the Placemakers group began conversations on holding some kind of farmers market

Orsini said the idea for the festival actually sprung from a different conversation the Placemakers and the chamber had back in late January/early February.

“We were actually kicking around ideas about doing a winter carnival and maybe doing a skating rink and a bonfire, but ultimately we decided it was too late in the year for that,” said Orsini. “Then we started talking about doing something to highlight how diverse we are and we said what better way to celebrate than with food and beer?”

Orsini said that the organizers checked with local restaurants to gauge the interest in the festival.

“The response thus far has been fantastic,” Orsini said.

Once the ball was rolling, Orsini said the organizers followed the same blueprint that the chamber follows when organizing the SummerFest to get all the ducks in a row as far as requesting the required permits and permissions.

“It’s exactly like the SummerFest, just with a more streamlined budget and planning,” said Orsini.

Orsini stressed that the food and beer festival is not meant to be held instead of the SummerFest.

“This is not going to infringe on SummerFest. That’s basically an all-day event and will be held in August. This is a separate event that will hopefully get people out to celebrate and draw people into town,” said Orsini.

Orsini said that there is a group of seven people meeting regularly that is helping to plan the festival and that more details will be made available as the summer gets closer.

“We have a lot of folks who are ready to volunteer now and as we get closer, we’ll share more of what we have planned,” said Orsini.