Taste of Parkersburg 2024
Event featured food, drinks and live music
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PARKERSBURG – The 17th annual Taste of Parkersburg was held in Bicentennial Park Saturday evening with about 4,000 attendees, according to Downtown PKB Director Amanda Stevens.
The event, put on by Downtown PKB, offered a variety of beverages and food from the local area.It also included music from two local bands, Bad Decisions and Division Street. Stevens stated there were 12 food vendors, 12 wine vendors, and 4 beer trucks. Those vendors included:
* Camden Clark Medical Center
* D'Paulo's Pizzeria
* Hangry's Food Truck and Catering
* El Mariachi
* Mulberry Lane Country Store
* Pappy's Lip Smacking BBQ
* Parkersburg Brewing Company
* Philippines Best
* The Blennerhassett Restaurant and Lounge
* The Cocktail Bar
* The Little Stir
* The Lost Anchor
* Wine Down on Market
* Capitol Beer
* Mountain State Beverage
* Sprigg's Distributing Company
While the Taste of Parkersburg usually takes place the weekend after Memorial Day, Stevens said that this year's timing is the earliest they've held their event.
"We were a little worried about the earlier date but it seems like it's worked out really well," said Stevens. "As of right now, we've had about 4,000 people come through here tonight. If we go over 4,000, it'll be our biggest year yet. We're also glad that the weather has held off, that's one of our biggest factors."
The Downtown PKB director also stated that the area event would not happen without their sponsors and 70 volunteers that continue to make the beloved festivities take place.
"I can never take credit for this event single-handedly, we have an amazing committee and board that come together with our volunteers and make this happen," Stevens said. "It takes a huge effort and it takes everyone working together. We're always learning and finding new ways to make it more fun and safe for the patrons here."
One of the sponsors and group of volunteers of the Taste of Parkersburg was the Parkersburg Art Center. Parkersburg Art Center Events Manager Laurel Slone stated that the turn out of the event brings joy not just to the patrons of the evening but also the ones that make it happen.
"We're grateful for opportunities like this where we get to help out our neighbors," said Slone. "It also showcases our efforts to support the life of downtown Parkersburg."
Many of the patrons that enjoyed the evening had either come to the Taste of Parkersburg for the first time or for their 17th time. Many said that the event is a great time to catch up with friends that they hadn't seen in a long time.
"It's a good event and it's a great time to catch up with those you might not see all the time, like business people, vendors, citizens, anybody, all walks of life," said patron Dave Roberts. "It's a kind of Parkersburg party with beverages and food that you might know you like or you can try something new and you can sample the different flavors of the area. The vendors get to showcase what they have to possibly new clientele. The more events we have like this betters the community."
Not only were there plenty of vendors for patrons to try but there was also a Taste of Parkersburg after party at The Cocktail Bar and specialty cocktails at the Blennerhassett Hotel and Spa Saturday evening.
"My favorite part of the Taste of Parkersburg is that it's just really fun and it makes all the work to get to this moment worth it," Stevens said. "It helps make progress on our mission statement which is to revitalize downtown Parkersburg."