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Yum! Taste of North Fort Myers returns

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The Calendar Girls perform their routine at the Taste of North Fort Myers event at The Shell Factory on Sunday. CHARLES BALLARO
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Mitchie the Clown hands a balloon animal to a child at the Taste of North Fort Myers Sunday. CHARLES BALLARO
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Employees at the Firehouse Sports Bar & Grill get ready to serve a customer at the Taste of North Fort Myers at The Shell Factory. CHARLES BALLARO

There was something for everyone’s palate on Sunday as the North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce presented its third annual Taste of North Fort Myers event at the Shell Factory.

As many as 2,000 people visited a dozen vendors who served food, as well as a dozen more business vendors promoting their businesses on a warm, humid day.

Once again, the event outdid itself, with a record number of vendors selling samples of their signature dishes for only a few bucks, with nearly everything a person could ask for, from savory to sweet.

And this year’s advance publicity helped ensure this was the best “Taste of” event so far.

“This has been a great partnership with the chamber for us. It looks like we’ve doubled the crowd and we’ve had some great TV coverage and great vendors,” said Shell Factory CFO and marketing director Rick Tupper. “This helps kick us off into the summer season.”

The event featured not only great food but great entertainment from the Calendar Girls. DJ Ali played the music and sang a little as well.

Mitchie the Clown made balloon animals and face painting for the kids, and all the attractions at the Shell Factory were open as usual, with kids getting a choice of either a free round of mini-golf or a spin on the trampoline.

Al Giacalone, president of the Chamber, said he couldn’t have asked for better reception by the business and community to the event.

“It’s an inexpensive way for people to get to try some of the food from the restaurants in the area. We try to make the restaurants understand that the people they meet here should be given a menu and asked to visit them,” Giacalone said. “If they do that and their food is good, they’ll have future customers.”

Joe Wise, owner of the Firehouse Sports Bar, fully understood, as this is the third time he’s taken part. He had low-priced samples of their most popular offerings such as sliders and wings.

“We came to promote North Fort Myers. It has a lot to offer. Most people here don’t know what we do have,” Wise said. “We had a great season, now we want to get out to our locals and let them know what we have.”

Eve Weeks, manager of The Dugout, the restaurant at Mike Greenwell’s in Cape Coral, was there for the first time. She was serving up hot dogs, sliders and wings to go with their cucumber salad and coleslaw.

“We want to get to all our locals to let them know we’re open and we’re ready for business,” Weeks said. “We’ve had a great turnout. We’re completely family oriented.”

The true judges were the customers who spent $3 to get in. Anna Galina and her daughter, Sophia, 10, from Cape Coral, came for the food and fun.

“We’re enjoying this. It’s a great event. We’ve had tacos from the yellow food truck and we’re now going to the Everglades BBQ,” Anna said.

“I want to go to the Nature Park. I love animals so much,” Sophia said, exalting when she learned there were more than 300 animals to enjoy. “I’m going on the trampoline and them on the zip line.”