TasteFest on the Manning, held on Saturday, January 13 on the Manning River foreshore on Taree, is being praised as a fun, family friendly event by visitors, stallholders and the Lions Club alike, with community members saying they can’t wait to come back again next year.
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While counting continues on entry takings and fund raising activities on the day (“there are thousands of dollars in coins,” event marketing director Phil Grisold said) so an exact figure can’t be given, Phil is positive that they are close to reaching their target of $20,000. The money will be donated to Can Assist Manning Valley and Ronald McDonald House.
“The crowd was way up on last year which was fantastic. Across the day we had 15,000 visitations. Last year was 12,000, Phil said.
The day saw a return of the extreme heat that plagued the inaugural TasteFest in January 2017, but a cool change in the evening made for a much more comfortable time.
“We copped a bit of heat late in the day and then the evening just cooled everybody down. They just got into the night vibe and we’ve been blown away with the feedback. It’s been marvellous.
“Everbody was so pleasant – the stallholders raved about the crowd. The people coming up from Sydney couldn’t believe the location; the people buying their product were friendly and engaging. It was a really nice, fun happy family day,” Phil said.
“A big thank thank you to the community for getting out in numbers and supporting, again, we really appreciate the positive feedback.”
Phil is excited about the possibilities for the event to grow into something big. He said the kitchen stage was “a lot more successful this year,” and reports they are already looking to get a name chef as a draw card for next year.
“I think this can become bigger and better with more targeted skills coming onboard on the committee. There are more things we can continue to improve and build. This is only the start of something,” Phil said.
He also hopes other volunteer groups with “plug in” with more water events for TasteFest.
“The Manning River Rowing Club were sensational in running the eights in front of the event, which was one of the largest eights to happen ever. They had 16 boats across the river, and the crowd just loved that,” Phil said.