HHDA to host downtown event

The Historic Hattiesburg Downtown Association (HHDA) will be holding the “All Aboard! Taste of Downtown” event Thursday evening at the Historic Train Depot.

The event will be held from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. and will feature dishes from ten of Hattiesburg’s local restaurants, with each dish matched with a specially brewed beer from Keg and Barrel. The dishes range from Mediterranean cuisine to fruity desserts to pizza and will cost $35.

This event also coincides with a new set of sculptures that were put on display within the train depot last week.

“We want to show our best side,” Betsy Rowell, executive director of the HHDA, said.

This is the third year that the association has put on this event and is the first time it is located in the downtown area.

“We are trying to actually introduce people to downtown,” Rowell said.

Guest will be treated to jazz music from the Hattiesburg Concert Association and will be among the toy themed sculptures on display. University of Southern Mississippi students and faculty and residents of Hattiesburg crafted many of the statues, and several are interactive.

“We’ll have the music, the food, great people and a wonderful atmosphere,” Rowell said.

Rowell and the HHDA approached John Neal, owner of Keg and Barrel, about the event. He and his brewer Ben Green have looked at many of the dishes and worked on creating unique brews to compliment each dish. Some of the examples include beer that has been fermented with fruits to go along with a dessert and a drink reminiscent of whisky to go along with a dish that uses it as an ingredient.

Perhaps the most notable brew Neal and Green are offering is “Kiss my Landmass,” which has been made with water gathered from Hurricane Isaac from the Gulf Coast and purified in Jackson. This will be going with The Depot Coffee House and Bistro’s dish and is naturally only available in limited quantities.

 To register for the event, visit http://www.downtownhattiesburg.com/under registration.