The Taste of the Southside – the largest and longest-running food and beverage tasting event on the Southside – will be organized in the future by new ownership. The Greater Greenwood Chamber has turned over the one-day event to WellSpring of Martinsville, IN. There will be no event this year, and WellSpring will launch its inaugural event in 2020.
“It’s been our honor and pleasure to operate the Taste for 17 years,” said Chamber President and CEO Christian Maslowski. “As our event priorities increasingly turn to an emphasis on advocacy, business development and small business support, we decided it was time to offer ownership of this legacy event to another organization excited about the opportunities it presents.”
Maslowski added that the Chamber was careful to select an agency that would be a good fit for the event. “The Taste will be in very good hands with WellSpring, which provides services to families who are homeless from Johnson County, as well as Morgan.”
WellSpring Executive Director Bob Goodrum noted, “We are proud to be affiliated with this benchmark tasting event, which has been a staple of the Southside for many years. By assuming ownership of the event, WellSpring can continue this wonderful tradition and extend its reach into Johnson County. Proceeds will help us provide families facing the challenges of homelessness through comprehensive education practices and active engagement in the community.”
Goodrum said every effort will be made to keep the event as similar as possible to those of past years, where guests enjoy a variety of activities and live music while sampling food and beverages from local eateries, bakeries and, of course, breweries and wineries. He added that the name of the event will remain the same, since it is so well-known. The location of the event is yet to be determined.
“This event also provides a way for businesses to gain exposure while helping sponsor a worthy cause,” Goodrum noted. Companies interested in sponsoring one or more of the activities within the 2020 Taste event may contact Goodrum at the WellSpring Center office, (765) 342-6661 or email at Bob@wellspringcenter.org. Sponsorships are available for the tasting room, auctions, entertainment and other activities. Persons interested in volunteering at the 2020 event also may contact Goodrum.
The Taste of the Southside will celebrate its 28th year in 2020. The American Heart Association founded the event in 1992, and the Chamber hosted from 2001 through 2018.
“We believe this is the right move for the Taste of the Southside at this time in order to best extend the event’s legacy serving our food and beverage industry,” Maslowski concluded. “And we are delighted to hand over the reins of this major event to such a capable and deserving organization as WellSpring. We anticipate that their 2020 Taste will be a success.”
