The 17th annual Taste of Montgomery County is coming from noon to 9 p.m. Aug. 24.
It is one of the area’s most anticipated annual festivals, but the Taste of Montgomery County also fulfills a important role: the Taste is the largest fundraiser for the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, located on the grounds in Crawfordsville where Lew Wallace penned his masterwork, Ben-Hur.
Make sure you bring your appetite to the TASTE! Local food and beverage vendors serving specialties throughout the day include: China Inn, Coal Creek Cellars Winery, Crawfordsville Country Club, Four Season Local Market, Jesus Kettle Corn, The Juniper Spoon, Klooz Brewz, Smokin Melts & Rollin Dough and many more
This year’s Taste features three musical acts. The Stampede String Band (12:30-2:30 p.m.), The Moon Cats (3:30-5:30 p.m.) and Michael Kelsey (7-9 p.m.) who is a favorite visitor to Crawfordsville.
The site of the Taste, the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., was once General Wallace’s backyard, lying just north of his home on Wabash Avenue. Many people attending the Taste don’t realize that the area near the General’s bronze statue, where hundreds of Taste-goers will congregate to hear the great live music and enjoy amazing food beneath the shade of stately trees, was once the site where General Wallace set up his rocking chair under the spread of a giant beech tree, writing a significant portion of Ben-Hur.
As a National Historic Landmark, the General’s Study building is one of the gems of Crawfordsville and has seen visitors from around the globe for more than 100 years. The Study is filled with the General’s original artifacts and personal memorabilia, most of which have been in the Museum’s collection since Wallace’s death in 1905.
Volunteer opportunities are available for this year’s TASTE. Volunteers receive free entry to the TASTE and their choice of a TASTE T-shirt or five food tickets. Those interested in volunteering should visit http://www.tasteofmontgomerycounty.com/volunteers/ to sign up or call the Museum at 765-362-5769.
Tickets for the Taste will go on sale Aug. 1.
All revenues from admission sales at this year’s Taste will fund the Museum’s extensive educational programming and annual exhibit. Museum programming in 2024 includes the ongoing Hoosier Authors Book Club, the Dr. Howard Miller Lecture Series, and the Hoosier Author Fair. Information about fall programming is online at www.ben-hur.com/events/.
For more information, visit www.TasteOfMontgomeryCounty.com.
The Lew Wallace Study would like to thank Title Sponsors (to date) of this year’s event: Acuity Brands; Crossroads Furniture; Dr. Howard Miller; Hoosier Heartland State Bank; Market Street Wealth Management – Jessica Bokhart; Montgomery County Tourism Commission; Nucor Steel; The Paper of Montgomery County; Tri-County Bank & Trust.
Contributing sponsors include: Allen Monument Company; Burkhart Funeral Home; CEL&P; Christi Hubler Chevrolet; Cook Home Services; Henthorn, Harris & Weliever; Industrial Federal Credit Union; nPrint; Stevenson’s Hardware; Valero Renewables Linden; Wabash College; Walden Transport & Recycle; and Crawfordsville Radio: WCDQ, WCVL and WIMC.
Supporting sponsors include: Arni’s of Crawfordsville; Gobel, Justice & Pyle Attorneys at Law; Indiana American Water Co., Inc.; The Journal Review; Judith Kleine Architect; The Juniper Spoon; Lakeside Book Company; Morrison Realty; Northridge Chiropractic; Pace Dairy; Rouff Mortgage; Sanders Funeral Care; and Town & Country Home Center.
