The 14th annual Taste of Baldwinsville will take place Saturday, Oct. 18. The event features food and beverages from local businesses, as well as music, a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction. According to event chair Andrea Gagas, this is the largest fundraiser for the Baldwinsville Volunteer Center (BVC).
The following restaurants are participating in this year’s Taste of Baldwinsville:
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Big Mama’s Country Kitchen and Deli
Tassone’s Wine Garden
Tabatha’s Family Tree
Suds Factory River Grill
Groovy Granola
Ma & Pa’s Kettle Corn, Co.
Hometown Pizza
Cam’s Pizzeria
Deb’s Sweet Treats
Radisson Ale House
Tops Market
“It allows the Volunteer Center and its volunteers to be able to reach out to the community through the Mentoring Program or supporting the Christmas Bureau or providing Thanksgiving baskets for families,” Gagas said. In addition, it helps new programs get off the ground, including the B’ville Community Action Resource and Empowerment Support (CARES). The organization helps the working poor fill the gap between federal and state assistance and their paychecks.
“The program helps families that fall between the cracks. It’s a phenomenal organization,” Gagas said.
Each year, the Volunteer Center serves Thanksgiving dinner to about 75 needy families, and its Christmas Bureau helps roughly 175 families have a happier holiday. The Mentoring Program provides an adult or high school student to spend time with Baldwinsville students who need extra support. The BVC’s HELPS Program provides household items families may need in addition to food supplies year-round; and in conjunction with the Lions Club, the BVC provides a Vision Services Program for Baldwinsville School District students. Much of the funding for these programs comes from the Taste of Baldwinsville.
“A Taste of Baldwinsville spotlights and includes our local businesses. They’re all from Baldwinsville — from Moyers Corners to Tassone’s, all within the perimeters of the Greater Baldwinsville area,” Gagas said. “We have different restaurants and vendors. It’s not just restaurants, but also people that have gone out on their own and started food businesses, like Groovy Granola or Ma and Pa Kettle. Then we also have places like Tassone’s Wine Garden, Cam’s Pizzeria, Tops and lots of others. We’ve got a variety of different entrepreneurs.”
In fact, everything is local, from the judges to the sponsors. This year’s entries, which will follow a Mardi Gras theme, will be judged by members of the Baldwinsville Fire Department, with help from the public.
The event space was donated by the CNY Family Sports Centre, Rock-a-rolla DJs will be providing music and guest bartenders from Top Shelf Bartending School will serve up drinks.
But most of the work comes from B’ville’s own volunteers. The event is organized by a committee of volunteers from the BVC, who have been working tirelessly to put it together.
“All of the other committee members share their time, even though they’re very busy,” Gagas said. “We’ve had surgeries and weddings and trips and family stuff, and through all of that, they’re still here.”
Other board members have different commitments.
“This year we have high school students volunteering many hours,” Gagas said. “We have two high school students who serve on our board of directors whose enthusiasm and involvement is key to our success.”
The end result of all this work? B’ville benefits.
“All of our effort goes to putting together this event to raise money and support an organization that gives 100 percent back to the Baldwinsville community,” Gagas said. “It all stays right here in B’ville. That’s very important.”
A Taste of Baldwinsville will take place from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at the CNY Family Sports Centre on Jones Road. Tickets for the event are $30, which includes all food and beverages available. Twelve restaurants and businesses will be participating (see sidebar). The event also includes a silent auction of items donated by local businesses and individuals. In addition, the BVC will be collecting canned goods and toiletries for its Christmas Bureau.
Tickets can be purchased at the BVC, 8 Mechanic St., in the village; at the Energy Lounge, 21 Water St., Baldwinsville; Hills, Farnham and Hills Insurance Agency at 16 Oswego St. in the village; at the door; or at eventbrite.com/e/a-taste-of-baldwinsville-tickets-13322460839.
Major event sponsors are Avalon Printing Services, CNY Family Sports Centre, Rock-a-rolla DJ Services and Top Shelf Bartending.
For more information, visit facebook.com/events/506535449483553/. If you can’t attend, share the event on Facebook and let others know about it.
“It’s a huge help for us — as big as being there,” Gagas said.
