Mouths are watering as local residents eagerly await The Great Taste of Carter County event Thursday evening.
The event, sponsored by Carter County Bank, will take place Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Elizabethton Parks and Recreation building at 300 W. Mill St.
This year’s event will have a 1930s theme and will feature jazz and swing music by One Leg Up and a dance demonstration by Darian and Tiffany Chancellor — professional dancers and owners of Johnson City Ballroom.
And, of course, there will be plenty of food.
This year, 14 restaurants will be providing tastes for the event. Featured restaurants will be: Jiggy Ray’s, J’s Corner, City Market, Cake Art by Margi Chambers, Creekers Barbeque, Primo’s Italian Restaurant, Happy’s Cafe, Covered Bridge Cafe, Southern Cafe, The Ole Barn, Fatz Cafe, Captain D’s, Lone Star Steakhouse and Bojangles.
A statement issued by Carter County Bank reflects on the event’s past successes.
“Over the years, we have seen amazing results that this event has brought to Carter County, so we invested additional time and funding to provide increased value to our local restaurants, the community and the charity benefiting from the ticket sales,” the release said. “Historically, this event has been a fun and valuable marketing opportunity for local restaurants and a great event for local people to attend. Now, this event has been updated and improved for everyone to enjoy!”
All proceeds from the sale of tickets for this year’s event will be donated to Honor Flight of Northeast Tennessee and CAP the Gap.
Honor Flight of Northeast Tennessee is the regional branch of a national non-profit organization whose mission is to provide transportation for war veterans to Washington, D.C., so they can visit the national memorials to their service and sacrifice. CAP the Gap is a local nonprofit that helps cover expenses for foster children to help them experience a more normal life.
Doors to the event will open at 5:30 p.m. and the tasting will begin right away. A brief presentation by William B. Greene, chairman of Carter County Bancorp, and Duncan Street, market president, will take place at 6:30 p.m. After the presentation, food sampling and entertainment will continue until 7:30 p.m.
Leading up to the Great Taste event is the Great Chase Medallion Hunt, a four-day scavenger hunt with a $1,000 grand prize that will be awarded at the Thursday night event.
Tickets to The Great Taste of Carter County are $15 and are available for purchase at Carter County Bank’s main office at 601 E. Elk Ave.