KALAMAZOO —

A blast of severe weather didn’t do much Thursday to dampen appetites for the variety of unique and local cuisine being served up at Taste of Kalamazoo.

Festival organizers evacuated a few hundred people Arcadia Creek Festival Place after weather sirens went off at about 4:30 p.m., following issuance of a tornado warning for Kalamazoo County. The storm blew through quickly, and about 20 minutes later festival-goers were allowed back onto the grounds to enjoy tasty offerings of more than 30 local restaurants and chefs.

“This is life in Michigan,” shrugged longtime Taste of Kalamazoo organizer Wayne Deering. “The show goes on.”

As the annual festival of food and music got underway earlier Thursday afternoon, Nicky Roberts, of Kalamazoo, sat at a table with her 5-year-old son, Robbie Daniels, and her mother, Cathy Keast.

Roberts, enjoying ribs from Big Moe’s BBQ and grilled corn on the cob from Jammin’ Jerk’s Island Grille, is pregnant with her second child. “I can tell he’s liking the food already,” she said. “He’s kicking.”

Robbie noshed on some bourbon chicken from Great Wall of China, and was looking forward to his cotton candy dessert.

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“He said he hasn’t had it in years,” Keast said.

Keast, a vegetarian, enjoyed tofu rice from Rasa Ria and black eyed peas from Omoefe’s Place Inc.

“I love being able to get all the different kinds of cuisine, food from all around the world in one place,” she said of Taste of Kalamazoo, which is in its 25th year.

Milan and Linda Koitch, of Colon Township, said they like how the festival lets people experiment with new, exotic foods.

“It’s very interesting how they (countries) can be so far apart and yet be so much alike” when it comes to cuisine, Linda Koitch said, noting how her Baghdad kafta kabob tasted similar to a Serbian dish called cevapi.

Food is “something else that can bring people together, but you’ve got to be willing to try it out,” she said.

As the Taste of Kalamazoo got ramped up Thursday just off the north end of the Kalamazoo Mall, a couple of blocks to the south shoppers were milling around checking out merchandise from downtown stores during the Summer Sidewalk Sale, which is also going on through Saturday.

Angela Elhammer, 55, of Kalamazoo, was shopping at Gazelle Sports for some new running gear. She hadn’t found her brand yet, but was optimistic.

“I’m sure there are deals to be had,” Elhammer said. “I come here every year.”

Nearby along the Kalamazoo Mall, closed to vehicle traffic for the sales, bright, flowing Balinese sarongs hung from the Terrapin World Wide Imports tent, on sale for $12 instead of the normal $20.

Terrapin owner Jeffrey Neal, who ordered the sarongs special for the sale, said he looks forward to the annual sale as a way to clear inventory and give his customers some good deals.

Neal said that Downtown Kalamazoo, Inc., which organizes the sale, has done a nice job of making it seem like more of an event than a sale. Food, live music and children’s activities have been added.

Though Thursday afternoon’s stormy weather sent many merchants scrambling inside, they will be back on the sidewalks today and Saturday. The Summer Sidewalk Sale runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days.

Gates for the Taste of Kalamazoo open at 11 a.m. today and Saturday and close both nights at 1:30 a.m.