July 6-7, Friday 5 p.m. to 12 a.m., Saturday, 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.

More than 20 of your favorite downtown restaurants serve up tasty dishes of ethnic, eclectic and classic cuisine for Taste of Downtown to the benefit of all your hungry, and perhaps neglected, taste buds.

Consider just some of the items on the mouthwatering menu: jerk pork taco, antipasto plate, meatloaf cupcakes, blackened salmon slider, Caitie Girl’s horseshoe tribute, cannoli, turkey cranberry cream cheese pretzel slider, fried oyster po’ boys, gyros, fruit fizzy, apple pecan chicken salad sandwiches, New England crab roll and grilled marlin burger. Which will you select? Admission is only $2. Children 12 and under get in free. Children’s entertainment will be provided 1-6 p.m. Saturday.

In association with the Taste of Downtown, the American Music Show provides some great jams to listen to while munching on all the scrumptious cuisine.

The lineup for Friday night rocks. Micah Walk plays at 6 p.m., Amy Levere at 7:30 p.m. and The Sadies at 9:30 p.m. Levere hails from Memphis. This country/rockabilly singer/songwriter is known for three things – her high, expressive voice, her upright bass and the sassy attitude found in her songs. The Sadies of Toronto are a psychedelic country rock band.

Starting out Saturday’s musical entertainment are local favorites, the Irwinites at 3 p.m. and Blue Ribbon Revival at 4:30 p.m. The Jans Project takes the stage at 5:30 p.m. Hailing from Champaign, The Jans Project is a rock band featuring two guitars, bass and drums. Members gather in Champaign from as far away as Chicago and St. Louis.

Saturday’s features include two Memphis boys, John Paul Keith at 6 p.m., and Jack O from Memphis at 10 p.m. Chuck Prophet from San Francisco takes the stage at 8 p.m. Keith is a blistering guitarist and roots rock singer/songwriter who learned to sing in church and play the guitar at 10 years of age. Catch Prophet before he jets off to Europe to open for the Jayhawks. Jack “Oblivian” Yarber is either a rock legend or an absolute unknown, depending on whom you ask. He’ll rock you out to the midnight hour.

If you really want to make it a complete weekend, consider a special downtown overnight package that includes admission and food and beverage tickets to the Taste of Downtown with your hotel room booking. For more information on the festival, phone Downtown Springfield, Inc., at 217-544-1723.