Centre County United Way’s Taste of the Town marks ‘first big year back’ with major changes

Centre County United Way’s Taste of the Town signature fundraising event returns this month, with a new, larger location and new night. As the event takes place at the Bryce Jordan Center for the first time, the change brings a more streamlined experience and more available tickets for what’s previously been a sold-out evening of local dining for a good cause.

Event coordinator Celesta Powell pointed to the additional space, stage and sound system as perks for attendees, while vendors will find it easier to load in and load out.

“You’ll be on the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center, so that’s unique in of itself,” Powell said. “Having the event there, and the dynamic of being on the floor, is overwhelming. We have the Jumbotron. We have more visual things that we’ve never been able to do in the past. We can grab the audience’s attention and everyone’s in one spot.”

The new space allows for approximately 100 more attendees than in years past, for a total of 550 available tickets. Prior to this year’s move to the Bryce Jordan Center, the event took place at The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster up until the time of the event.

Local restaurants, producers and related food vendors will showcase their finest over the evening, allowing attendees a chance to taste test menu samples from well-known favorites and newcomers to the Happy Valley culinary scene alike. This year’s event showcases more than 30 hospitality vendors. New participants appearing at Taste of the Town for the first time include Bonnie Blue’s Smokeys & Sweets, one of a handful of food trucks slated to appear; Bees Knees Coffee; and Rimmey Rd. Farm, among others.

Beyond the dining, a silent auction is likewise always a highlight of the event and, this year, the silent auction will take advantage of an online system that makes the bidding system easier and more convenient for both organizers and attendees.

“You’ll be able to preview our items and then bid online,” Powell said. “You can sit and eat and enjoy yourself. Then, something will say, ‘Ping! You’ve just been outbid. Do you want to increase your bid?’ So it will make it a little more so that you can sit and have a conversation, relax, and also bid and take care of the United Way and everything that we do.”

Highlight silent auction items include a safari, tattoo, autographed items, sports events tickets and more.

Beyond the changes, this year’s Taste of the Town is also significant, as Powell called it Centre County United Way’s “first big year back,” following the event’s cancellation in 2020 and a modified event in 2021, due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns. The cancellation and modifications did impact the event’s fundraising efforts, though “fortunately, not as much as we had anticipated,” Powell said.

This year, Centre County United Way aims to raise $80,000 during the event. Last year, it raised $65,000. Funds raised go toward the organization’s support of a variety of regional nonprofits.

“When you’re trying to find the best place to give your dollar, in Centre County, you have every choice in the world, and United Way is the one that supports every single one of them,” Powell said. “When you donate to United Way, you are donating to The Arc of Centre County, Strawberry Fields and the Mid-State Literacy Council. You are donating to every partner that you can think of. We have 22 partner agencies that we work with and ... every bit that we make, we pass on to those in the community. That’s the importance of donating to the United Way. When you’re supporting the United Way, you’re supporting everyone.”

For those who’ve yet to attend Taste of the Town, a fundraiser that first got its start in 1997, Powell said to expect “a super-awesome cocktail party. ... Meet some friends, socialize, try some local fare from around the community ... Come hungry, come excited to see new people and glam it up.”

Currently, Powell said tickets for the event are nearly two-thirds sold out. While the event has previously always been held on a Sunday evening, the venue change has necessitated a switch to a Thursday evening time. This year, Taste of the Town takes place Thursday, Dec. 15, 6-9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.ccunitedway.org/taste-town for $100 for individuals or $850 for a table of 10.