Sgt. Preston's still a crowd favorite

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - At this year's Dancing in the Streets, a local restaurant will be serving up its famous food, beer and wine. Sgt. Preston's is one of nearly 20 food and drink vendors at the Dancing in the Streets.

Owner Doug Cooper said after more than 30 years in the business, the recipe for success hasn't changed much.

"The food is great, people are really nice and the atmosphere is really comfortable, relaxing," Lafayette resident Deb Seders said.

When owner Doug Cooper bought the old brick building at Second and South in downtown Lafayette, it was just an old thrift shop.

"We were looking for historical renovations of buildings so this was the perfect fit for us. There wasn't much downtown when we started out but since, it's grown quite a bit," Cooper said.

It has 25 employees the downtown location and more than 15 at its second catering location on the south side of town. Once again, this year, Sgt. Preston's will be featured at the Dancing in the Streets hosting the beer and wine stations on both sides of the river. Cooper said the event just keeps growing.

"It's grown over to the other side of the river and incorporated both sides of the bridge," he said.

They will also have a food station serving up hamburgers, pulled pork and fresh brewed iced tea. And, it's the great food that keeps regulars coming back to the establishment year after year.

"It's a tie between stuffed tomatoes with chicken salad or the crab meat salad with French dressing," Deb Seders said.

"We used to have six, seven guys around one of those smaller tables and it was very uncomfortable. So I told the guys if they bought the material then I'd build a table and we'd sit at the table everyday," Mike Witteveen said.

A reserved sign sits on the table, every day.

You can find Sgt. Preston's on either side of the river serving up wine and beer at Dancing in the Streets. They will also be set up with food and drinks at Second and Main Streets on the east side of the river.