MANCHESTER, NH – For those who made their way downtown for the annual Hippo de Mayo Taco Tour Challenge, you know it was truly a tour de force.
Mayor Joyce Craig, who spearheaded the effort that resulted in closing down Elm Street for the event, was happy with the outcome.
“Last night was an amazing night in downtown Manchester! Many thanks to everyone involved; it was a team effort to shut down Elm Street. The Department of Public Works, the Police Department , the Parking Division, InTown Manchester and many others worked hard to ensure a safe and enjoyable time was had by all. Congratulations to everyone on a great event,” Craig said.
There were lots of families with kids in tow, and dogs on leashes, kids riding bikes and more foot traffic than Elm Street has seen in a long time.
It was difficult to estimate the crowd size with all the coming and going, and with related events happening at the Fisher Cats Stadium, Currier Museum and Club ManchVegas, but over the course of the five-hour event thousands of people made their way to the downtown area.
Due to the road closure lines were snaking down sidewalks and across Elm Street, which seemed to help in keeping things moving. Many of those in attendance commented that the wait for a taco, even in the longest of lines, was only 5-10 minutes.
As for the challenge part of the annual Taco Challenge, the People’s Choice Awards are still open for voting (until 10 a.m. May 4), but below are the Judge’s Choice awards, announced once the taco tour wrapped up:
Judges’ Choice
Cheddar & Rye
TACO: The Venom: Grilled cheese sloppy Joe taco
CHARITY: Maggies Beat
Judges’ Choice honorable mentions
Club Manchvegas
TACO: Breakfast Taco: A floured tortilla dipped in egg,cinnamon and vanilla grilled and stuffed with a
combo of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and blended
cheeses, drizzled with fresh maple syrup.
Portland Pie Co.
TACO: Chicken Waffle Taco: Chicken tenders,
bacon, maple syrup in a hard shell topped with whipped
cream.
Strange Brew Tavern
TACO: Chipotle Chicken Street Taco
Below are some social media snapshots of the event, including our ‘Man in the street” walk about. Scroll through and enjoy!
