By Michelle Kinsey—
MUNCIE – Muncie’s largest outdoor dinner party is back!
Join hundreds of your friends and neighbors for Muncie’s Bridge Dinner Thursday, Sept. 17, on the Washington Street Bridge.
This free outdoor community event will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. There is easy pedestrian and biking access from the White River Greenway. Parking is available within walking distance at Tuhey Park.
So many people say it’s one of their favorite events each year.
“The Bridge Dinner resonates because it reminds us how simple community can be: sit down together, share a meal, and leave feeling a little more connected than when you arrived,” said Jeff Robinson of Shafer Leadership Academy, one of the event hosts.
You can buy your dinner from one of the food vendors, or bring your own meal, and have a seat at one of the community tables decorated by students from Burris Laboratory School. A DJ will provide the dinner music.
Food vendors this year will include AppeThai, The Food Vault, Neighborhood Pizza, Payne’s Restaurant (food truck), and Three Bears Concessions.
“This uniquely Muncie event is one of a kind and only happens once a year, so you don’t want to miss it,” said Jennifer Jas of Words with Jas, one of the event hosts. “Where else can you enjoy dinner on top of a bridge while catching up with old friends and making new ones? Music sets the backdrop for conversation and laughter, complemented by delicious local food and drinks. I especially love seeing people of all ages paddling canoes and kayaks beneath the bridge, thanks to Canoe Country.”
Yes, Canoe Country, a Daleville-based outfitter, will offer the opportunity – for free – to get up close and personal with the White River on one of their kayaks. And local vendors will offer Muncie-centric items for sale.
Photo provided.
More than a dozen groups and organizations are involved in the planning and support of this annual dinner, including the JROTC from Muncie Central High School, who help with set up and tear down each year.
“I love the Bridge dinner for so many reasons!” said Alisa Wells, Executive Director of Community Engagement for Ivy Tech Community College, one of the event hosts. “Our shared values and experiences satisfy our natural desire to be part of something bigger. It fulfills our basic human need to belong.”
The idea for a community dinner in this unusual location was inspired by Peter Kageyama, author of “For the Love of Cities: The Love Affair Between People and Their Places” and “Love Where You Live: Creating Emotionally Engaging Places.” Peter spoke in Muncie on March 15, 2017, at Cornerstone Center for the Arts, and provided a new language for speaking about community and economic development – a language that includes words like beauty, passion, and fun.
“Love where you live! The Muncie Bridge Dinner exemplifies this simple but important concept and for nearly 10 years has brought the love of our city to life!” said Cheryl Crowder, Event Director for Muncie Downtown Development, one of the hosts. “Muncie really does love a good party!”
Your hosts for the party are Muncie Action Plan, Shafer Leadership Academy, Ball State’s Office of Community Engagement, Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, Ivy Tech Community College, City of Muncie, Riverside-Normal City Neighborhood Association, Old West End Neighborhood Association, Polcz Volbrecht Homes at RE/MAX Real Estate Groups, Muncie Community Schools, Muncie Police Department, Canoe Country, Words with Jas, and Burris Laboratory School.
Generous support for the event is provided by the Sherman and Marjorie Zeigler Foundation, Ivy Tech Community College, Ball State’s Office of Community Engagement, and Shafer Leadership Academy.
For more info, go to https://muncieneighborhoods.org/bridgedinner/.
