Aug. 12—Cass County residents will have a chance to sample Logansport this Saturday, when The Taste 2022 takes place downtown from 5 to 11 p.m.

The Taste is an annual event that showcases local food vendors, businesses and organizations.

This year, the event returns to Melbourne Ave. The street will be closed and filled with vendors and a stage for musical entertainment.

Not only is it a big event for local businesses and the community, it's also the largest fundraiser of the year for the event's hosts, Logan's Landing.

For Joe Brewer, it will be his first event since taking over the position of Logan's Landing executive director.

"The Taste is just that, it's a taste of our vendors and what they have on their menu or what their organization offers," he said.

Fourteen businesses and organizations will be on hand, including U-Know Pizza, Bruno's Pizza, The People's Winery, and the Logansport Civic Players.

El Taquito Feliz will bring their food truck for a second year. For the Palencia family, The Taste is an opportunity for them to greet new customers and share their food with others who are aware of their business but have never tasted their authentic Mexican flavor.

This year the truck will be serving tacos and quesadillas, chicken, seasoned pork Mexican sausage and rice water, a famous drink that is sweet and contains cinnamon.

El Taquito Feliz opened in April of 2022. Patriarch Jorge Palencia had lost his job during the COVID pandemic. His family trusted in God and decided to support Jorge as he turned his passion for cooking into a business, said his daughter Isle.

"I really enjoy seeing my dad happy, doing what he loves doing," she said. Isle runs the trucks register and also works in various behind the scenes roles.

Jorge said that the main reason he loves cooking is seeing how people respond, how happy they get when they try the food and when they give him feedback.

They hope to see many happy customers Saturday.

For Will Scott, the owner of J & A's Woodfired Pizza, The Taste has given him many opportunities to introduce his business to customers. J & A's Woodfired Pizza doesn't have a physical storefront. Instead, they travel to events and are hired for private celebrations.

They were most recently seen at the Cass County Fair. They also work a lot of wedding receptions and rehearsals. Graduations are also popular, Scott said.

Pizzas are made onsite using as many Indiana ingredients as Scott can find. They are then cooked in a woodfire stove that they feed wood into.

"I love the opportunity to do this," Scott said. "There's so many things happening right now (in downtown Logansport) and hopefully we will see some new businesses at The Taste. It's an opportunity for people to come out and try your product who haven't before."

Along with food, visitors can see live music from The Flying Toasters, Mudhound Revival and Branson Eber.

Security Federal Savings Bank will also host a kid's corner from 5 until 8 p.m. that will offer face painting, games and prizes.

Not only is the event a fundraiser for Logan's Landing, which works to promote local business and revitalize the downtown Logansport area, but Brewer said the The Taste is an opportunity to show appreciation for those local businesses and to perhaps introduce locals to the growth and change the downtown is undergoing.

"If we do events here people will see that right now Logansport's downtown is really thriving with new businesses," he said. "Hopefully people will start coming downtown more."

"It helps downtown," Scott said. "That's one of the reasons that I do it. I want to help. I want to help the community."