For the more than 200 EMU students participating in the university’s fourth annual Royals Go Downtown presented by Everence on Thursday, the foods available to try ranged from sweet sips (mango lassi from Taj of India), savory snacks (dumplings from Mashita), and the wacky and wonderful (pickles on a stick from Sage Bird Ciderworks).

That’s not to mention the dozen other mouthwatering dishes students could sample from downtown Harrisonburg restaurants, businesses, and organizations including Magpie Diner, Aristocat Cafe + Tea House, Court Square Theater (serving their own popcorn), Broad Porch Coffee Co., Rockingham County Circuit Court and Clerk’s office (handing out gavel-shaped pencils), Billy Jack’s Wing & Draft Shack, Texas Inn, Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn, OASIS Fine Art & Craft (giving away lollipops), Klines Dairy Bar, and Benny Sorrentino’s.

Royals Go Downtown introduces EMU students to the restaurants and other businesses that make the Friendly City so special. Students gathered, by the busload, at alumna-owned Magpie Diner to begin their cross-town culinary crawl, where they were greeted by Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus. “This is a time where we get to be community together,” Dycus told students. “We are in downtown Harrisonburg because this is home for us.”

Groups of students strolled through the heart of Harrisonburg along a guided walking route, led by faculty, staff, and student volunteers. They stopped at partner locations before coming together at Turner Pavilion for a dance party, hosted by DJ Adam Wirdzek (also known as EBRO), web content and strategy manager for EMU marketing and communications, and Mayor Deanna Reed, director of alumni engagement and community connections at EMU, who offered students a warm welcome to Harrisonburg.

“It’s like my favorite event of the year,” EMU senior Lauren Kauffman, of Goshen, Indiana, told the Daily News-Record () about Royals Go Downtown. “There’s all kinds of good food. Good food, fun, and friends.”

Another student, first-year Eli Monroe of Poquoson, Virginia, told the paper, “It was absolutely phenomenal. I got some free things, I got a nice water bottle out of it, and I got to hang out with my best buds.”

Joni Wiederman, a first-year nursing major from Spotsylvania County, Virginia, attended the food tour with her field hockey teammates and said it was her first time experiencing downtown Harrisonburg. “I like how friendly everyone was,” she said. “It was pretty welcoming.”

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made the event a resounding success, including the planning committee (Amy Springer Hartsell, Atma Khalsa, Deanna Reed and Sara Wittig), 15 participating downtown businesses, Mayor Reed, 23 faculty and staff volunteers, seven student volunteers, our mascot Herm, various EMU offices and departments (Athletics, Student Life, Facilities Management, Pioneer College Caterers) and our businesses who sponsored this event.

These business partners include:

• Presenting Sponsor: Everence
• Court Square Champ Sponsors: CT Assist, LD&B Insurance Services, Matchbox Realty, Rockingham County Circuit Court and Clerk’s Office, The Mark-It, Friendly City Food Co-op, and Kline’s Ice Cream.

We will soon begin planning for next year’s Royals Go Downtown event. Please let us know if you have any feedback from this year or suggestions for next! 

The event started in 2022 as a collaboration between EMU President Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman and Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed, director of alumni engagement & community connections at EMU. It aims to familiarize EMU students with downtown restaurants and businesses in “The Friendly City,” recently named among , and celebrate EMU’s presence in the community.

Watch WHSV-TV’s video coverage of Royals Go Downtown !

Students arrived by the busload at Magpie Diner—owned by EMU alumna Kirsten Moore ’93—where they munched on chocolate chip cookies and received a welcome from President Huxman. “We love the city of Harrisonburg and we want to show you what it has to offer,” Huxman told students. “We want to show you that it’s friendly, it’s welcoming, it’s diverse, and it loves college students.”

From there, they strolled over to Sage Bird Ciderworks to enjoy refreshing sips of frozen lemonade. 

Throughout the route, EMU faculty and staff were there to assist business owners with giveaways and crowd control. At Aristocat Cafe, Luke Litwiller, director of undergraduate admissions, poured iced pumpkin spice chai lattes for students, whose eyes were glued to the 15 cats inside the cafe, all of which are available for adoption. 

Mashita, a restaurant handing out samples of pork and cabbage dumplings, was a popular stop for students. Many of the students interviewed mentioned it as their favorite treat along the route. Spencer Showalter, Mashita’s catering director, said the event helps introduce their offerings to students. “We love working with EMU,” he said. 

At the Frame Factory & Gallery, students could pose for photos with a royal blue picture frame, custom made to match EMU’s primary color. Shop owner Rhoda Miller ’03, MA ’20 (restorative justice), said participating in Royals Go Downtown provides her an opportunity to give back to her alma mater. 

Students at a stop in Court Square, in front of the Rockingham County Circuit Courthouse, energized by coffee from Broad Porch Coffee Company, danced to music played by EMU’s Rockin’ Royal Pep Band and joined in an “E-M-WHO? E-M-YOU!” chant. 

Walking along Main Street, students savored a mango lassi from Taj of India, snacked on “sticky nuggs” (the name for Billy Jack’s Shack’s signature sauced chicken nuggets), and sampled popcorn from Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn Company. EMU alumna Lisa Roeschley MA ’01 (education), who owns the Shirley’s store with her husband—and former EMU baseball coach—Rob Roeschley, said she enjoys welcoming the students each year. “They’re excited about visiting downtown and that’s so fun to see,” she said.

The waves of Royals stopped by OASIS Fine Art & Craft for EMU-themed lollipops and PULP in Shenandoah Bicycle Company for Japanese vegetable curry before wrapping up their food tour at Turner Pavilion. There, slices of pizza from Benny Sorrentino’s, ice cream from Klines Dairy Bar and treats from Ott Street Eats awaited them, in addition to a DJ-led dance party and greetings from Mayor Reed. 

Thank you to the President’s Office, Advancement, Campus Activities Council, and the many Harrisonburg establishments and EMU donors for making this amazing event happen!