It really wasn’t something anyone on the board of directors for the Boone County Convention & Visitors Bureau wanted to do. But then, being on a board means you make tough decisions. And it was a very tough decision to postpone this year’s Taste of Boone County event until some time in 2011.
The reason is simple – rising costs, increased expenses (especially for our local restaurants who give their food and their time at no charge to the event) and a still sagging economy make it fiscally impractical to sponsor an event of this magnitude.
If you came to the TOBC the past two years you know what a nice event it was with all kinds of great food served by our locally owned Boone County restaurants, food specialists and caterers. Add in the live jazz music and a most excellent selection of beverages and you had a perfect recipe for a nice evening out in Boone County. And if you did come, thank you for your support.
I must take some space to thank the wonderful and varied group of local restaurants, bakers, chocolatiers, caterers and gourmet foodies who participated in the TOBC – giving both their time and their great food to this event. I will miss those little BBQ sandwiches, gourmet munchies and, of course, Donaldson’s chocolates…yummm. Of course you can find these food delights most every day of the week all across Boone County served up by the nicest group of Hoosiers you’ll find anywhere in our State.
Major thanks go to Craig Anderson and the entire Anson – a Duke Development team. When Mayor Lewis arranged our first meeting where we asked about putting up a huge tent and filling it with hundreds of people eating and drinking in the middle of Anson on a October Saturday night, Craig said, “Great idea, let’s do it!” And the Duke cooperation and hospitality never ended. We really appreciate the generosity and look forward to working with Craig at Anson again.
To the sharp dressed men of the Lebanon Street Department who kept our TOBC sparkling clean and running right, thank you to Larry Lee and his team. No wonder they’re Indiana’s best Street Department (you can look it up). And thanks go to the Zionsville Fire Department – especially Chief Jamie VanGorder – for the no charge use of their monster generator that kept the lights sparkling and music humming along.
Many, many thanks go to the hours of work put in by the BooneCCVB board members who never figured they’d be taking tickets, directing traffic or pouring beers as part of their director’s job description. We’re a small bureau – actually there are just two of us – so the many volunteer hours put in by our directors, especially our Chairperson Paulette Dowden, is what made the Taste of Boone County happen in the first place.
Speaking of pouring beer, Boone Beverage delivers the finest, coldest beer you’ll ever receive for a big gathering or when you’re visiting your favorite Boone County establishment. Mr. Selby really knows what he’s doing when it comes to being an outstanding distributor. Refreshingly nice product, too.
To our corporate sponsors and partners, thank you for your support. A special thanks goes to our media partners at the Lebanon Reporter and their fine family of area newspapers who publicized and advertised the Taste of Boone County across central Indiana.
But don’t despair, we’re just postponing the Taste of Boone County. We’ve plans to truly make it bigger and better – with added attractions, surprises and stuff we can’t talk about right now. But we will let you know soon and hope you’ll join us for the 2011 Taste of Boone County. I’ll keep you posted…right here.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I find I’m very hungry and need a snack. Sure wish I had some Donaldson’s chocolates.
