A popular event celebrating Windsor's culinary and riverside traditions is on hold due to record-high water levels.
Dinner on a Pier, an outdoor gourmet dining event that was enormously successful last summer, has been postponed with the hopes water levels will subside. WindsorEats, which holds the event, had been consulting with the city of Windsor, and with rising water still a real possibility, Thursday night's Dinner On a Pier has been put on ice, at least for now.
"Experts are indicating that water levels within the Detroit River will continue to rise over the next couple weeks," said WindsorEats owner Adriano Ciotoli in a media release. "We want to ensure our guests are safe and while it is unfortunate that we’ve had to postpone the event, it was necessary."
Ciotoli said the tentative September 12 date for the rescheduled event will be ideal, as the late summer-early autumn atmosphere in Windsor will help show off the city itself, as well as its dining pedigree.
"Dinner on a Pier is about truly showcasing our waterfront and our city," said Ciotoli. "With guests regularly coming from across Michigan and even as far as Kitchener for the dinner, showcasing our city at its best is important to us."
Foodies have been drawn to the event under the Ambassador Bridge since its inception in 2016. There's room for 120 diners and Ciotoli said it sells out quickly each time. The dinner is served family-style at a long table with no assigned seating, to encourage dinner conversation between strangers.
If you have tickets for the Thursday experience, they will be good for the rescheduled date. Those who are unable to make the new date will be offered refunds.
Water levels on Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River have been at their highest since 1918, according to the Windsor Port Authority. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens cautioned the public on Friday that the rising water levels may continue to cause problems along the shoreline through the rest of the summer.
For complete information about Dinner on a Pier, visit the official WindsorEats website.