Sterling gears up for weekend packed full of community activities

STERLING – Clear your schedule and forget your dinner plans. Downtown Sterling has you covered with a weekend of free entertainment and discounted food.

On Friday, Aug. 2, Sterling Main Street continues more than 40 years of tradition with “Hot Dog Days.” From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., visitors can enjoy 25-cent hot dogs, chips and bottled water at locations throughout the downtown area. There also will be a fun fair, car wash, sidewalk sales and more.

“This year, we’ve got 7,680 hot dogs to serve,” Sterling Main Street Executive Director Janna Groharing said. “CGH will be giving out free ice cream cups while supplies last, and the B.L.I.N.D. student leadership group will provide games and activities for the kids.”

Save room for Saturday, when Explore Downtown Sterling’s “Taste of Sterling” kicks off from noon to 4 p.m. with discounted food and drinks, free activities, live music, shopping, prizes and more. The event features 54 businesses and covers more than four blocks, stretching from Second Avenue to just beyond Locust Street and from Fifth Street to just past Third Street.

Heather Dunkel is the owner of Build-A-Pet Clubhouse in Sterling and one of the vice presidents for Explore Downtown Sterling. She hopes the event will help boost local businesses.

“We want people to get used to walking around downtown and see how much there is to offer,” Dunkel said.

Turns out there is quite a bit to do. DJ Cabralio of Sterling will drop the beats while patrons visit multiple food and vendor locations.

Visitors can pick up a free Food and Drink Boarding Pass punch card featuring discounted deals on food and beverages, such as $3 guacanachos from Kelly’s, $2 grilled chicken kabobs from Peepsie’s BBQ, and beer and wine tasting at the Rusty Fox.

From noon to 3 p.m., visitors can try their luck at the dunk tank in the YWCA parking lot to try and sink Sterling Mayor Diana Merdian and Whiteside County Sheriff John Booker or enjoy a round of putt-putt golf.

Registration for the three-point basketball contest begins at noon at the Explore Downtown Sterling tent in the parking lot behind Grummert’s Hardware, 424 Locust St. The competition starts at 2:30 p.m. in the CGH building parking lot at the Library Plaza.

Other activities include a cake walk, candy bar bingo, a scavenger hunt, a quarter in the haystack game, balloon popping for prizes and more.

Visitors can visit various stores such as Nasos Salon for face painting and henna tattoos or check out the sales at Primitive Frills, Fringe & Co. and others.

“We’re trying to put the focus back on the community and we’re very excited,” Dunkel said. “We’re hoping that this first one goes well and we can’t wait to grow it next year.”