This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Tastefest One of Many Highlights of Lakeland Football on Friday

Multiple area restaurants will offer food and drinks before and during the Eagles' game against Waterford Kettering.

’s home football game Friday against Waterford Kettering will also mark the site of the ninth annual Tastefest.

Tastefest is an athletic booster/athletic department fundraiser that features many of the best-known and enjoyed restaurants in the area. It gives Lakeland fans a chance to try different types of food and drink they may not have tasted otherwise. The event runs from 5 p.m. through halftime of the football game. The game will kick off at 7 p.m.

“This is a great annual event  for our department, as it connects us with our community,” said Lakeland Athletic Director Greg Michaels. “It gives our fans, parents and students a chance to support and try food from their favorite restaurants that are supporting our program. And it’s a great venue for these businesses.”

Find out what's happening in White Lake-Highlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The year, Tastefest will feature such local restaurants as Buffalo Wild Wings, Comeback Inn, Billy's Tip-n-Inn, Leo's Coney Island, The Burger Joint, Milford Baking Co., Dave and Amy's, 59 West, Pomodoro, Hungry Howie's, Coffee Cart, Trifles, Picasso of Pizza, Skybox and more. 

In addition, 2012 model year cars from Szott M-59 Dodge and Szott M-59 Jeep Chrysler will be on site. Both dealerships have supported Lakeland athletic teams through the years.

Find out what's happening in White Lake-Highlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

All food purchases must be made with designated tickets, which will be available at the rate of 10 tickets for $5.

The benefits of Tastefest are not just for fans at the football game and the school district, but for the restaurants themselves. It gives them added exposure to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of area residents, virtual live advertisement that can draw new customers.

“We don’t necessarily make a lot of money at this game, but the advertising we get from it is invaluable,” said Billy’s Tip-n-Inn Manager Nadine Ritthaler, whose restaurant has been involved with Tastefest for several years. “We’ve had so much demand some years that we had to go back twice (to the restaurant) to get more food we didn’t expect that we’d need.”

This year, Billy’s Tip-n-Inn plans to serve such favorites as barbecue ribs, pulled pork and breadsticks. Other restaurants will offer such foods as hamburger, pizza, Mexican foods, salads, chicken wings and more.

Szott M-59 will sponsor a Dodge Ram test drive at Tastefest as well. The test drive offer will start at 5 p.m. and will run through the end of halftime, along with other Tastefest activities. Szott M-59 Dodge will donate $15 to the Lakeland Athletic Department for every test drive, and there will be five Dodge Rams available for such test drives, available to licensed drivers 21 and older.

Michaels said such local corporate support is critical for school athletic departments today because of the continued budgetary challenges all districts face.

“We really have a wonderful community of business owners and managers who see the value of marketing to our fans,” Michaels said. “The fact is we rely on their support and, in addition to the Tastefest vendors, we have many other business supporters throughout the year. We thank them all.”

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from White Lake-Highland