EDWARDSVILLE - The upcoming Taste of Edwardsville event likely couldn’t get more popular than it is to date.
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This year, the event sold out in 90 minutes when tickets went on sale. Last year, it sold out in 23 hours.
The Taste of Edwardsville starts at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 23, at the Leclaire Room and West & Co. Party Tent on the N.O. Nelson campus of Lewis and Clark Community College in Edwardsville.
Participating restaurants in the Taste of Edwardsville event are 1818 Chophouse, 222 Artisan Bakery, Bella Milano, Big Daddy’s, Bigelo’s Bistrow, Catrina’s, Chava’s, Cleveland Heath, County Seat, Mike Shannon’s Grill, Olive Oil & More, Peel Wood-Fired Pizza, Recess Brewing, Social Gastropub, Source Juicery, Stur, Teaspoons, Wang Gang and Wooden Nickel.
“It has turned into an event that creates so much excitement,” Kathy Opel said. “The restaurants are all lined up and each of them have small plates. People can hit all of the restaurants if they want. People also have their favorite beer and wine included. It is a gorgeous event.”
Johnny Holzum & the Well Hungarians will perform this year and are fantastic, Opel says. There are also silent and live auctions included in the fund-raising event.
In 2009, Chad and Kathie Opel and family organized the Taste of Edwardsville as a standalone fund-raiser benefiting the Greg Seibert Foundation after Chad’s stepfather suffered a spinal stroke. After seeing the success of the event, and what a difference it made for Chad’s family, they were inspired to continue the community event with a goal of helping other families in similar times of crisis.
In 2010, Edwardsville Neighbors in Need was established as a certified 501©(3) charitable organization. Today, nominations are often accepted for families facing medical hardship within Edwardsville School District 7. All fund-raising efforts are overseen by an acting board of directors. The other major fundraiser for Neighbors In Need is a 5K race on Thanksgiving. Last year it exceeded several thousand dollars in profit and it is expected to exceed that this year.
“We are really fortunate in the Edwardsville area that we do not have to deal with a lot of poverty,” Opel said. “But when families face things like a medical struggle and are often impacted, it helps bridge the gap through the hard times that come with medical emergencies or diagnosis.”
Opel said there are a lot of nominations through schools or counselors at the schools. Also churches and pastors also often send nominees to the organization for assistance.
“It is a big word-of-mouth organization,” Opel said. “We have been fortunate it has grown like it has over the last seven years. It is so heartfelt and a wide variety of nominations. We have helped children, seniors and families. It feels a little bit different every time we help someone and every time we leave people are always grateful for the help.”
Check out www.edwardsvilleneighborsinneed.org for more information.
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