(Photo by Gwen Sour) Attendees at Saturday evening’s Taste of Parkersburg in Bicentennial Park enjoyed food and drinks from local eateries, wineries and brewing companies.

PARKERSBURG — Bicentennial Park came alive Saturday as over 1,000 people attended the annual Taste of Parkersburg, featuring local food, wine, beer and live entertainment hosted by Downtown PKB.

This year’s event introduced cashless payment options for admission and drink stations and offered reserved four- and eight-person tables, a first for the festival. While food vendors were still permitted to accept cash, most other transactions required credit or debit cards.

One organizer explained the broader goal of the event.

“Taste of Parkersburg started to bring people downtown, have them try foods from local restaurants that maybe they hadn’t tried before,” said Lindsey Piersol, a member of the Downtown PKB board. “It used to be sample sizes. We’ve gotten away from that. So now they can come down, pick a couple restaurants. It’s not full-size things, but it used to be really small. The goal is get them to come down, get them to try food, get them to try drinks from places they haven’t been to before.”

The atmosphere reflected that goal, with long lines at booths and many visitors exploring food from vendors, including:

(Photo by Gwen Sour) From left, Jessica and Lance Marshall of Parkersburg share chips and salsa from El Mariachi at Taste of Parkersburg on Saturday night.

* The Blennerhassett Restaurant & Lounge

* Cham’s Lebanese Cuisine

* D’Paulo’s Pizzeria

* Hangry’s Food Truck and Catering

* Jimmy Avocado’s

(Photo by Gwen Sour) More than 1,000 people enjoyed music, food, wine and beer during Saturday’s Taste of Parkersburg at Bicentennial Park.

* The Little Stir

* The Lost Anchor

* El Mariachi

* Philippines’ Best Foods

* Pappy’s Lip Smackin’ BBQ

(Photo by Gwen Sour) From left, Evie Schaffer mixes drinks while her mom, Rachel Martin, takes orders for Unity Mac Bar & Bistro during Saturday evening’s Taste of Parkersburg at Bicentennial Park.

* Unity Mac Bar & Bistro

* Wine Down on Market

Wine vendors included Toscano in Appalachia, Chestnut Ridge and Stone Road, alongside a range of national and international labels. Local and regional breweries such as Parkersburg Brewing Company and Spriggs Distributing also participated.

The event also served as a reminder of the growing recognition Taste of Parkersburg has received beyond the region. In March, it was named No. 2 in USA Today’s 10 Best City Food Festivals, a distinction organizers described as “exciting.”

The event is a major fundraiser for Downtown PKB, with all proceeds going toward the revitalization of the area and support of downtown businesses. This year’s title sponsor was Truist Bank, with support from other sponsors including the Deitzler Foundation, WVU Parkersburg, WVU Medicine Camden Clark, Pickering Associates, United Bank and Grogg’s Home Services. Over 100 volunteers helped make the event possible.

(Photo by Gwen Sour) From left, Robin White passes Jami Ness her beer at Taste of Parkersburg Saturday night.

Organizers also used the occasion to highlight ongoing developments in the area.

“There’s a lot of new businesses in downtown,” Piersol said, noting recent additions like Unity Mac and Cheese Bar, Sycamore Sweets and new restaurants in formerly vacant locations. “(I) just encourage people to come downtown and check out our shops and local restaurants and support the community in that way.”

(Photo by Gwen Sour) Attendees danced to Division Street’s cover of “I’m a Believer” by Smashmouth at Saturday’s Taste of Parkersburg in Bicentennial Park.