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Date: 3/27/2015
WEST SPRINGFIELD – Though summer is still months away, the West Springfield Rotary Club has been preparing for its 16th annual Taste of the Valley. The annual event will take place Aug. 13 through 16, the Rotary Club announced recently.
Taste of the Valley has traditionally taken place in June, but the committee in charge of planning the event made the decision to move it, according to Event Chair Dan Marini.
“Historically, it’s been in June, year in and year out. It’s worked out well for us. The only thing we wish we could change was the weather. June can be unpredictable,” Marini said. “We made the decision to move to what is the most predictable month, hopefully, of the summer. We’re hoping for sunny skies.”
Marini also added that with high school and college graduations, the month June tends to fill up quickly on people’s calendars. Changing the date, he said, will fall into a more convenient period for people hoping to attend.
Even with months of planning still to go, the Rotary Club has already locked in its title sponsor, Chicopee Savings Bank, for the eighth year in a row. Now, the committee is working “aggressively” to find additional sponsors and food vendors for the Taste of the Valley.
Typically around a dozen local food vendors set up shop on West Springfield commons, and Marini expects that many of the vendors from last year will return for the 2015 event.
In addition to the food from which the event gets its name, the Taste of the Valley will also feature a 5K run, a car show and live entertainment.
Marini said the Taste of the Valley offers a special experience, not only in what it provides, but also in how the event happens.
“I think kind of the stand out here is obviously the Rotary Club does a lot within the community, but this particular event, it’s a very cooperative event in that it’s all about community,” Marini said. “It’s on the town commons; it attracts a large percentage of people from West Springfield and surrounding towns. It’s very nice to bring together the Rotary Club and the city and work on this dual-purpose event.”
Though this is Marini’s first year serving as chair for the event, he has been around the Taste of the Valley through his involvement with the Rotary Club. Even though the event attracts about 40,000 annually, Marini said that he is not nervous in his first year, as he has previous chair George Condon still working alongside him.
The money that is raised at the Taste of the Valley supports the Rotary Club community grants, which are awarded to area nonprofits and organizations twice a year. The Rotary Club fills as many grants as they can with the money raised, Marini said.
“It’s money well spent. You’re having a great time sampling some very good food, beer and wine and listening to a concert on stage, but ultimately those proceeds are reinvested into the community,” Marini said.
For more information about the Taste of the Valley, visit www.westsidetaste.com. Interested sponsors or vendors should email event coordinators at info@westsidetaste.com.