Everyone Take a Deep Breath!

Now release it. Ahhhhhhhh!

The 7th Annual TASTE of Montgomery County is over, and we couldn't be more pleased by how everything came off. As many of you know, the TASTE is our biggest fundraiser of the year, providing funds for programming and exhibits. We also rely on the TASTE to raise awareness in the community about our museum and mission.

We had around 2100 people attend the TASTE this year. (Our musical performances contributed significantly to that number, since the Big Swing Band is so...well, big!) We had visitors from eleven counties inside Indiana, including quite a few from Marion and Tippecanoe, and 6 other states, including Texas, Utah, and South Carolina.

We had all kinds of great food, from American to Mexican to Greek, and lots of coffee and tea beverages, as well as more adult offerings like strawberry daiquiris, Lift Off IPA from Daredevil Brewing Company, and Coal Creek Winery wines.

Every year we do two sets of awards: Judges' Choice and People's Choice. This year our celebrity judges included Lauren Lowry from Indy's Channel 8 and her husband Blake Lewis, Crawfordsville Planning Director Brandy Allen, and Elizabeth Rentschler from Lafayette's NewsChannel 18.

Judges Choice
Best Entree - El Charro Taqueria
Best Dessert - Big Dipper
Best Booth Presentation - Bon Appetite

People's Choice
Best Entree - Juniper Spoon
Best Booth Presentation - Bon Appetite

Local musicians KSW@G were a great hit in our 1 - 3 p.m. slot. They were followed by the crowd-pleasing Big Swing Band from Lafayette from 4:30 - 6:30. Our evening act was The Michael Kelsey Group, featuring guest harmonica player L.D. Miller, and they brought down the house from 8-10.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this year's TASTE of Montgomery County a great success!

TASTE 2013 Music

Can you believe it's August already? Where has the summer gone? The TASTE of Montgomery County is nearly here--and we have some fantastic music offerings this year!

Our opening act is a local favorite. KSW@G, featuring Stephanie Pool, Ken Lee, Wayne Lehr, and Chris "Gooch" Andel, will be performing from 1-3 p.m. With an act that includes hits from the 1950s to the present, they'll be sure to get your toes tapping.

A popular local act makes a return for the 4:30-6:30 p.m. time slot. The Big Swing Band from Lafayette will bring us swing and big band music, featuring vocalist Gail Biss. Bring your best dancing shoes and polish up your Lindy Hop and Jitterbug, because you'll want to get out and cut a rug!
The Big Swing Band performed at the 2009 TASTE of Montgomery County and were a real hit, so you won't want to miss it.

Playing from 8-10 p.m., our evening act is The Michael Kelsey Group out of Indianapolis. Michael Kelsey is a Lafayette native who has toured nationally with Blind Melon and Dishwalla and has opened for such acts as 38 Special and the Doobie Brothers. Though his main instrument is the guitar, Kelsey often reaches out to find improvisational instruments around him. As he experiments with sound and rhythm, his acoustic rock shows are always one of a kind. Check out his music and past performances at his website.

As hard as it is to believe, the TASTE is just over three weeks away. Don't miss your chance to enjoy an afternoon and evening of great music and delicious food. Advance tickets are already on sale at the Carriage House, Milligan's, and the Montgomery County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Advance tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for students. Stop in and pick them up this week!

A Great Variety of Flavors at the Taste

The 6th Annual Taste of Montgomery County arrives this Saturday, August 25, and the variety of foods being offered this year is sure to please almost every palate.

Two Guys Cooking will return with their famous ribbon chips with cheese and deep-fried caramel turtle cheesecake. The China Inn will serve California sushi rolls and crab rangoons; while Waynetown Bar and Grill will serve frog legs and catfish bites. Bon Appétit will present a popcorn barn with assorted mix-ins and flavorings.

Three new exhibitors to this year’s Taste are Lil Sweetums Cupcakery, featuring cupcakes from their new store on Main Street, the General Store in Darlington, featuring delicious cinnamon rolls and sticky buns, and Chewy’s, with authentic Mexican food. Favorites from previous years will also be returning, including Norvell’s BBQ, China Inn, The Iron Gate, Miller’s Quality Meats & Catering, A Country A-Fair, Hawg Wild BBQ, The Big Dipper, Coal Creek Cellars, 1832 Brew Espresso Bar, and the Juniper Spoon.

The Taste of Montgomery County takes place at the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum in Crawfordsville on Saturday, August 25 from 12:00 noon to 10:00 p.m. Tickets for the Taste are now on sale at the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum and several downtown locations. Advance tickets to the Taste are $4 for adults and $2 for students; on the day of the Taste, tickets will be $5 for adults and $3 for students. For the full menu and more information about the Taste, visit our website at www.tasteofmontgomerycounty.com.

Get a Taste for a Good Cause

It’s become one of the area’s most anticipated annual festivals, but the Taste of Montgomery County also fulfills a very 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. The 6th Annual Taste of Montgomery County will be held this Saturday, August 25, from 12:00-10:00 p.m.

Revenues from the gate sales at this year’s Taste will go to fund the Museum’s extensive programming and the 2013 annual exhibit focusing on Wallace descendants. 2013 programming will tie into exhibit themes and will include genealogy and family history workshops, lectures, and a walking tour.

Tickets for the Taste are now on sale at the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum and several downtown locations. Advance tickets to the Taste are $4 for adults and $2 for students; on the day of the Taste, tickets will be $5 for adults and $3 for students.

A Taste of What’s to Come

The Sixth Annual Taste of Montgomery County is fast approaching! Come out to the grounds of the Lew Wallace Study & Museum on Saturday, August 25. From noon to 10 pm we will have great food and great music for you to enjoy!

Bands performing are Nut Hatch from 1-3, Mike Butler & Slim Pickin’ from 4:30-6:30, and The Snakehandlers Blues Band from 8-10. With all the wonderful restaurants in Montgomery County, there will be tastes to please every palate.

Be sure to pencil August 25 on your calendar!

Advance Taste Tix Now On Sale

Advance tickets for the fifth-annual Taste of Montgomery County are now on sale in select Crawfordsville locations.  Visitors can purchase Taste tickets at the Carriage House Interpretive Center of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, home of the Taste; the Montgomery County Visitors and Convention Bureau at the corner of Pike and Green streets; Kwik Kopy Printing at 123 East Main Street, Milligan’s Flowers & Gifts at 115 East Main, and Hovey Cottage on the campus of Wabash College.  Advance tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for students.  The Taste is an annual fundraiser for the Lew Wallace Study Preservation Society, the organization that maintains General Lew Wallace’s original artifacts and keeps his legacy alive.

The benefits of purchasing advance tickets are twofold.  Advance tickets are $1 cheaper—adult tickets at the gate on the day of the Taste will be $5 and student tickets will be $3.  Advance ticket holders will also be able to get into the gate faster on the day of the Taste, as they won’t have to wait in line to purchase tickets.  This could be a real advantage when crowds gather for the live musical acts scheduled to play at this year’s Taste. Crawfordsville’s own Kenn & Keller will play from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.; Indianapolis’ Cool City Swing Band will bring the swing from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and this year’s headliners, Healing Sixes will take the stage from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. for an exhilarating finale.

The Taste of Montgomery County will be held at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum on Saturday, August 27, from 12:00 to 10:00 p.m.  The restaurants and caterers showcasing their foods at this year’s Taste include The Iron Gate, The Juniper Spoon, Two Guys Cooking, The Big Dipper, Bon Appétit, Miller's Quality Meats & Catering, Arthur's Café, Norvell's BBQ & Catering, Applebee's, China Inn, Mighty Dogs/Athens Nutrition and Smoothies, Buffalo Wild Wings, Hawg Wild BBQ, Waynetown Bar & Grill, Coal Creek Cellars Winery, 1832 Brew and Creekside Lodge.


For more information about the Taste, visit our website at www.tasteofmontgomerycounty.com.

Taste Countdown - 7 days!

Only one week left until the 2010 Taste of Montgomery County! We're putting on the finishing touches to make sure everything goes smoothly, and it will almost certianly be the best Taste yet. In addition to the great music line-up of Not Too Bad Bluegrass Band, Green Room Rockers, and Midnight Special, the food also promises to deliver something for everyone.

Some returning favorites include The Juniper Spoon, Joey's Main Street Cafe, The Iron Gate, China Inn, The Big Dipper, A Country A-Fair, Bon Apetit, Two Guys Cooking, Miller's Quality Meats and Catering, Arthur's Cafe, Norvell's BBQ & Catering, Moody Meats, Applebee's and Buffalo Wild Wings. Menu items include midwestern favorites such as barbecue sandwiches and ice cream, and also branch into more exotic territory with Mediterranean orzo salad, low country boil, and sushi.

Newcomers to this year's Taste include Hawg Wild BBQ, Athens Nutrition and Smoothies, Ross Mobile Foods and Catering, Chapel Books, Patch of Blue Denim Cafe, and Las Cazuelas Mexican Restaurant. Sun King Brewing Company will debut with three different kinds of their freshly-made beer. Iced coffee, smoothies, roasted pork, and authentic enchiladas round out the menu options.

Is your mouth watering yet? Advance tickets are still available at the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, Milligan's Flowers and Gifts, Kwik Kopy, the Montgomery County Visitors Bureau, and Homestead Gifts for $1 cheaper than gate prices - that's $4 for adults and $2 for students!

Have a great time supporting the Museum at the Taste on August 28!

Yea for the Taste!

The Taste was a success! We had over 2,100 people on the grounds enjoying the food, music, and fun, and we raised thousands of dollars toward the restoration of the Study building.

Thanks to all our sponsors, volunteers, and vendors who made the event such a huge success!

Congratulations again to our award winners:

Judges' Choice for Best Taste: Joey's Main St. Cafe

Judges' Choice for Best Showmanship: Moon Dance Cafe

People's Choice for Best Taste: Two Guys Cooking

People's Choice for Best Showmanship: Bon Appetit

Pete Miller Vendors' Choice: Miller's Quality Meats and Catering

We're looking forward to next year (well, after a month or two off...), so mark your calendars for August 28, 2010.

Taste TV: Visit the Taste: Save the Study

Taste TV: Visit the Taste: Save the Study, originally uploaded by WallaceStudy.

Acting Museum Director Amanda Wesselmann explores the interior of the General Lew Wallace Study, built in 1895, and illustrates the water damage due to the Study's leaky roof. Revenues from the Taste of Montgomery County, on Saturday, August 29, 2009, go directly to replacing the Study's copper roof.

To view this video in its entirety (2:14), visit the original YouTube video here.

Taste TV: Best of Taste Awards

Taste TV: Best of Taste Awards, originally uploaded by WallaceStudy.

Acting Museum Director Amanda Wesselmann features the Best of Taste Awards, which visitors can vote on during the Taste of Montgomery County, on Saturday, August 29, 2009.

Tasteofmontgomerycounty.com

Visit The Taste, Save The Study

The upcoming Taste of Montgomery County is one of the area’s most popular annual festivals, but its significance to the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum is far more than just great food and entertainment.

The Taste is the Museum’s biggest fundraiser, enabling the Museum to provide quality themed programming, exhibits, and events throughout each year, but this year’s fundraising need is especially dire. The Museum is raising funds to replace the original copper roof on General Lew Wallace’s study, the building he called “the pleasure house of my soul.”

“The Study Restoration Project is our top priority this year,” said Amanda Wesselmann, Acting Director of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum. “We want to maintain excellence in visitor experience and protect the historic artifacts that we have, but it’s impossible to do that with the increasing damage to our main structure.”

The Study building has suffered rapid deterioration in recent years due to water penetration in the building’s copper roof. Water has permeated the plaster in a large section of the Study’s ceiling and, if left untreated, could cause irreparable damage to General Wallace’s personal artifacts stored inside.

“The artifacts we have on display are entirely original; they are all things General Wallace used himself, from the furniture to the art and the books,” said Wesselmann. “Because these things are so precious, we take great care to monitor the humidity and moisture levels inside the Study to make sure the artifacts last as long as possible.”

When any measurable rain falls at the Study, the roof leaks in over ten places. Although most of the leaks do not fall on the artifacts themselves, the humidity levels inside the building vary wildly, contributing to artifact destabilization and possible mold growth. Water damage has also affected the foundation of the building, with years of seasonal expansion and contraction causing foundation cracks and separation of the stucco. Ultimately, restoring the building’s foundation, interior ceiling damage and exterior roof works, including the Tiffany stained glass ordered by General Wallace, will cost at least $165,000. Additional costs include expert packing, moving and storing of the General’s personal items while the roof replacement is underway.


Museum staff members have been hard at work for two years raising funds and securing grants for the project, but replacing an all-copper roof in the current economy requires a variety of strategies. “This is probably the most fun way we can raise money,” said Wesselmann. “It gets the whole community involved, enjoying excellent food and great music from around the area, and it helps our Museum immeasurably.”

The third-annual Taste of Montgomery County will be held on Saturday, August 29, 2009 from 12:00 noon to 10:00 p.m. on the grounds of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum in Crawfordsville. Featured live musical acts include The Woodstove Flapjacks, The Big Swing Band and the Gordon Bonham Blues Band. Advance tickets for the Taste are on sale now at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, Montgomery County Visitors Bureau, Kwik Kopy Printing, Milligan’s Flowers & Gifts and Moon Dance Café.

For more information on this year’s Taste and the Museum’s Study Restoration Project, contact the Museum at 765-362-5769 or visit our websites at www.ben-hur.com or www.tasteofmontgomerycounty.com.

YOU CAN HELP: Can't make it to the Taste? Visit the Museum's Facebook Causes page, "Sustain the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum", to see photos and videos of damage to the Study's interior and donate to this worthy cause.

TASTE ADVANCE TICKETS ON SALE

Advance tickets for the third-annual Taste of Montgomery County are on sale now at select Crawfordsville locations. Visitors can purchase Taste tickets at the Carriage House Interpretive Center of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, home of the Taste; the Montgomery County Visitors and Convention Bureau at the corner of Pike and Green streets; Kwik Kopy Printing at 123 East Main Street, Milligan’s Flowers & Gifts at 115 East Main and Moon Dance Café at the corner of Washington and Main. Advance tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for students.

The benefits of purchasing advance tickets are twofold. Advance tickets are $1 cheaper—adult tickets at the gate on the day of the Taste will be $5 and student tickets will be $3. Advance ticket holders will also be able to get into the gate faster on the day of the Taste, as they won’t have to wait in line to purchase tickets. This could be a real advantage when crowds gather for the nationally-recognized musical acts scheduled to play at this year’s Taste. The Woodstove Flapjacks, an acoustic bluegrass band from Lafayette, will play at 1:00 p.m., and The Big Swing Band from Lafayette rocks the house at 4:30 p.m. At 8:00 p.m., the Gordon Bonham Blues Band, a mainstay of the star-studded Indianapolis Jazz Festival, takes the Taste stage for a rousing finale.

The Taste of Montgomery County will be held at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum on Saturday, August 29, from 12:00 to 10:00 p.m. The restaurants and caterers showcasing their foods at this year’s Taste include Buffalo Wild Wings, Two Guys Cooking, Bon Appétit, Rumor's Bar & Grill, Tacos el Jarocho, A Country A-Fair, Arthur's Café, The Iron Gate, The Big Dipper, Applebee's, Moon Dance Café, Joey's Main Street Café & Catering, The Juniper Spoon, Norvell's BBQ & Catering, China Inn, Miller's Quality Meats & Catering, Elaine's Catering & Tea Shop, Good To Go Xpresso, and the Lew Wallace Study Preservation Society.

The Taste was a Big Helping of Fun

How awesome was the Taste of Montgomery County? Words cannot describe, but I'll do my best anyway! There was so much to take in that day, I'll just hit a few highlights. Of the twenty booths, I was only able to taste a few things, but one of my favorites was the couscous with lamb from The Juniper Spoon. When it came to dessert, it was hard to decide, but I think I agree wtih the judges that the winner for best taste was the turtle cheesecake from Awesome Edibles caterers. Mmmm!

The music was great, too, and all the bands put on a good show. One I enjoyed the most was the Tad Robinson Band. I didn't know I liked blues music until I heard them! It was definitely a crowd-pleasing event, and I also had a great time running into lots of folks I hadn't seen in awhile. I heard there were over 2,000 people there, and I believe it. The only downside was that some of the vendors ran out of food that I had been hoping to try, like the fried cheesecake I saw on the menu card. Oh well, hopefully that will be back next year. I know I will.

Gearing up for the Taste at Wabash Community Day

Marketing Coordinator Kara Edie and I went to the Wabash College Community Day to spread some of our excitement about the upcoming Taste of Montgomery County! With the countdown well underway - only 4 days left - our goal was to make sure every Wabash student knew what was going on Saturday, September 6. Not only did we pass out every last Taste button that we had, but we also got a few responses like, "oh yeah, I went last year and it was awesome!" and "we already have our tickets!" I thought it was a great show of community.

Hope to see you there!