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Sebastian businesses light up night with grills, grub and fun

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    • SEBASTIAN — An untold number of Sebastian residents and visitors took to the streets Friday evening in search of food, fun and camaraderie during the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Light Up Your Grill Night.

    The steady stream of foot traffic along US 1 bounced from one business to another, all the while the business owners tried to spot the judges who would be deciding who would win Top Pineapple.

    “The phone didn’t stop ringing,” Chamber Executive Director Beth Mitchell said of the hours leading up to the popular event, adding that more than 200 people had come into the Chamber office earlier.

    This year was a record one for the Chamber, according to Mitchell, who said the 40 participating businesses set a new record.

    “There’s a small positive trend in our community,” Mitchell said of local businesses willing to go the extra mile to bring people in.

    That’s the purpose of Light Up Your Grill Night – and its sister event Light Up Night later in the year – to help businesses bring in prospective customers and help the community learn more about their local establishments.

    “We’re all connected,” said Dr. Amy Cousino, of The Cat’s Meow Cat Clinic, which is why she’s chosen to participate in the event for the last two years.

    She said that what good one business does is good for the whole community.

    “We all win,” Cousino said.

    Arlene and Russell Owen ducked into the clinic for a few minutes to try the pineapple upside down cake and enjoy the air conditioning.

    “Free food…it’s a beautiful night,” Arlene said of why they came out to Light Up Your Grill Night. By the time they stopped at the clinic, they had been to four other businesses.

    Computer Health Care was their favorite so far.

    “Delicious meatballs,” Russell said.

    This was a first for the couple, attending Light Up Your Grill Night, though they are no strangers to the winter event Light Up Night, which they’ve attended for three years.

    “It’s comparable,” Arlene said, noting the biggest difference is the lack of decorations in the summer.

    Advanced Foot and Ankle of Indian River, which took first place in the Creativity division, drew a crowd with a SpongeBob SquarePants theme.

    “I know it draws a large crowd,” Kimberly Snell said of Light Up Your Grill Night. She said she took last year’s event to scope out what other businesses were doing so she’d have a plan for this year.

    Snell is the office manager for Dr. Amberly Paradoa, of Advanced Foot and Ankle of Indian River.

    SpongeBob was a no-brainer to help hinge the event on, according to Snell.

    “Who else do you think of when you think of a pineapple?” she rhetorically asked.

    Michael Maier and his son, Chris, invited Michael’s parents, Don and Sonia Maier, to Light Up Your Grill Night to try the food, find out about the businesses and otherwise try to encourage them to leave Deerfield Beach, Fla., for Sebastian.

    “It’s just wonderful,” Sonia said of the event, especially being able to get out and mingle with people. “It’s the fellowship of the whole thing.”

    The Maiers stood outside the Chamber office trying grilled gator tail and frog legs.

    “They’re good,” Don said of the legs. Of the tail, he said “excellent.”

    “I’ve never had gator tail before,” he added.

    “We have it all mapped out,” Michael said, checking off on his fingers the businesses they still planned to hit.

    And the winners are…

    Best Over All: Sebastian River Medical Center

    Best Taste

    Execution

    Originality

    Creativity

    Participating businesses:

     

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