Category | Arts & Living

Taste of Kennesaw assists charities

Published on September 15, 2009 by Jenny Harrison

If you happened to walk down Main Street in Kennesaw last Saturday, you were more than likely welcomed with the aromas of roasted turkey legs and fresh barbecue, a wide variety of musical entertainment and an area full of friendly locals.  Downtown Kennesaw was temporarily converted into a food court on Sept. 12 as it hosted the annual Taste of Kennesaw event.

Photo by Karlee Gonzalez.

Joint efforts by the Kennesaw Business Association (KBA) and the City of Kennesaw developed this event as a way to give back to the local community.  Taste of Kennesaw’s Second-year committee chair Mike Everhart described KBA as a networking organization and local business promotion group that is strongly tied to the community.  KBA, the oldest business association in Cobb County, works with the city and local schools to provide support and funds where they are needed.

The Taste of Kennesaw, which was funded through business sponsorships, had around 30 local restaurants from Sweet Tomatoes to The Melting Pot participate and sell their menu items to guests.  Admittance to the event was free, and a cap of four dollars was put on all food items to keep Taste of Kennesaw inexpensive and appealing to all.

“Because of the economy people are looking to do things close to home so as not to break the budget,” said Everhart.

To participate, restaurants paid a flat fee and were allowed to keep all proceeds from sales throughout the day.  Restaurants were also allowed to participate in five food contests with awards for Best Appetizer, Entrée, Dessert, Food Presentation and Best Decorated Tent.

The streets surrounding the food tents were filled with baby strollers and leashed dogs as families browsed the wide variety of food.  Karen Andrews, Director of the Career Services Center at KSU, brought her family to the Taste of Kennesaw on Saturday to enjoy the food and entertainment available.

“Kennesaw is known as a great town for families,” said Andrews. “This event exemplifies that.”

While the food was a huge attraction, the entertainment for children and adults drew crowds as well.  Two stages were set up within the perimeters of the event that showcased local dancing groups and acoustic guitarists throughout the day.  Children enjoyed the inflatable play areas that were located in close proximity to the stages.

While the event provided food and entertainment for the city, Taste of Kennesaw’s main goal was to raise funds for four local charities: Shop with a Mustang, Shop with a Warrior, MUST Ministries and the Jerry Worthan Community Christmas Fund, according to KBA’s Web site.

Shop with a Warrior and Shop with a Mustang are charities created by two local high schools, North Cobb and Kennesaw Mountain, to pair children with high school students, who spend the day Christmas shopping with the elementary and middle school students who may not be able to afford to buy gifts for family members. MUST Ministries is an organization that meets the basic needs of food and shelter for individuals in Cobb and Cherokee counties while offering a variety of additional services to individuals in the metro area, according to its Web site.  The Jerry Worthan Community Christmas Fund works with the Kennesaw Police Department to provide families in the Kennesaw area with toys and clothing during the holiday season.

“As an organization we have supported these charities in the past. We get so much support and active participation from the high schools, and MUST Ministries is a charity that everyone loves,” said Everhart. “Jerry Worthan is our way of giving back to the city.  The police department is out here all night and all day, so this is our way of saying thank you back to the city for helping us.”

Last year the Taste of Kennesaw was able to provide these charities with $2,000 each.  Due to the increase in participation this year, Everhart estimated that each charity would receive approximately $3,000 from the event.

Other charitable organizations took the opportunity provided by the Taste of Kennesaw to raise funds.  Renee Sees, advocate for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization, joined with local high school students to sell handmade items during the event and promote upcoming events to increase breast cancer awareness.

“By choosing to raise funds at the Taste of Kennesaw, we are letting the majority of the funds earned stay in the Kennesaw community,” said Sees. “We want to give to local residents who may not be able to afford treatment otherwise.”

The Taste of Kennesaw festivities drew nearly 20,000 people on Saturday, which was an increase from the 15,000 people who attended last year.

“Our intent is really only to make it bigger,” said Everhart. “This is only our second year, but if we continue with the same kind of progression that we had over the first year, I think we’ll see this turn into a pretty substantial event as it rolls on down the road.”