.png)
A single word summed up the cuisine at Elgin’s inaugural community potluck dinner March 21 — “amazing,” according to Parks and Recreation Manager Elizabeth Marzec.
Homemade goulash, fried noodles, red beans and rice, Spam, banana pudding, sausage, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cake pops were just a few of the crowd-pleasers Friday evening at Veterans Memorial Park downtown.
The event, organized by Marzec and her team, served as a replacement for the city’s traditional spring break picnic and featured live music and ample space for gathering.
“In previous years during spring break, we’ve hosted Picnic in the Park, but decided to shift all of our events to the evening during the week to accommodate more working families, and we landed on the idea of a potluck,” Marzec said.
Along with feeding the crowds, the event also fulfilled its other goal of introducing neighbors to one another, she added.
“Everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves. We saw a lot of new faces and a lot of people getting to know other attendees,” Marzec said. “We’ve seen a lot of positive comments online, and when we spoke to patrons, they were asking when we would be hosting this again.”
The positive reception has already sparked plans for next year, with Marzec suggesting the evening could be extended to give guests more time to enjoy the park after sunset.
“Veterans Park is beautifully lit when the sun goes down,” she said. “It was a great finale for our week of spring break events, and families who saw each other at different events during the week got to come together and connect.”
The parks team remains open to additional feedback, always looking to improve on what the department can bring to the community at large, according to Marzec.
More information about upcoming events and projects is available at elgintexas. gov.
