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Taste of Pickerington to offer something for everyone
(by Alexa Libert, staff writer - September 23, 2010)
The Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce is preparing to kick off its 12th annual Taste of Pickerington and Fall Festival events on Oct. 2 and promises to provide good food and fun to visitors of all ages.
The event, which will be held in Pickerington’s Olde Village, has been “extremely successful” in year’s past, said Helen Mayle of the Chamber of Commerce.
It is an opportunity for local restaurateurs to showcase their best items to the community and in some cases, items that might surprise.
“When you drive by and you look at a restaurant, you may have preconceived notions about what kind of food they serve and you may or may not stop in,” Mayle said.
This event also provides an opportunity for restaurants to feature items to the community that it otherwise may not know about and provides an opportunity for community members to taste food from a business they may not have tried before, she said.
“We always encourage restaurants to bring something that you may not know they feature,” Mayle said.
Taste of Pickerington will feature a number of local businesses such as Café Mediterranean, Skyline Chili, Culver’s, Max and Erma’s, Graeter’s Ice Cream and J & J Catering.
Visitors can purchase samples for $1. There is no admission charge for the event.
In addition to food, a 5k run will kick the event off at 9:30 a.m.
At 11 a.m., the event officially gets under way and the “best” of each category will be chosen. Categories include best appetizer, best entrée, best beverage, best dessert and most healthy.
There is also a People’s Choice Award which Culvers won last year, Mayle said.
The People’s Choice recipient earns bragging rights for a year and the Purple Spatula Award.
Mayle emphasized the competitiveness of the event, adding that Culver’s already expressed an interest in winning the award again this year.
The event also promises to provide entertainment for all ages. A kid’s area will include a bounce house, story time and crafts.
There will be a wing eating contest between the football teams of Pickerington North and Central high schools, and the Dancing Divas are also on the bill, Mayle said.
“They are one of the most interesting groups I’ve ever seen,” she said. “They’re awesome.”
The Pickerington Central Jazz Band will perform as well.
This year’s newest event is a pizza eating contest between the Pickerington police and fire departments.
The fall festival portion of the event will include free health screenings and a variety of sales and service vendors, and will also present several best of business awards.
The event will close down Columbus Street heading west.
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