Carnegie Hall’s 37th Annual Taste Of Our Towns (TOOT) proved once again why it is one of West Virginia’s most popular festivals. On Oct. 14, thousands of residents and visitors packed the streets of historic downtown Lewisburg to taste food and drinks created by almost 50 regional vendors, listen to regional bands, participate in fun and educational activities in the Kids’ Zone, be entertained by street performers, and experience Carnegie Hall’s Art Block which featured Carnegie’s teaching artists selling and demonstrating their craft.
TOOT guests enjoyed a pleasant event that improved as the day went on and raised funds for Carnegie Halland other area nonprofits and businesses. This year, vendors collectively grossed over $42,332 in sales. Carnegie Hall received more than $12,319 as its 30 percent of vendor sales. Vendors took home nearly $25,979.
“We had 43 local vendors, not to mention our incredible Church Street artists, set up at TOOT 2023 for the largest number of vendors we’ve had since 2014,” states Develop Manager Kit Lindsay. “Despite some questionable weather, we had a wonderful, community-forward event full of great food and happy festivalgoers!”
Food and drink vendors included The Dawg House, Robert’s Antiques, Wellspring of Greenbrier, Renick Christian Fellowship, Stardust Café, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Grassroots Church, Patina, Comeback Orthopedics, FCC Co Op, Better Homes & Gardens, Blackwell’s Catering, Aggie’s – Vest, The Lunch Box, Mountain Table, Greenbrier River Watershed Association, Cowlicks Dessert Trailer, Green River Academy/Yamato Japanese Steakhouse, The Schoolhouse Hotel, Foley Orthodontics, Genesis Mountain Farm, Ascend WV, Leivasy People’s Place, Flavor Mutt, Mammy’s Fudge & Treats, WV Beef Jerky, WV Helping Hands, Seasons Place, WV Renaissance Festival, Greenbrier Valley Children’s Home Society, Aviagen Turkeys, Child & Youth Advocacy Center, Reformed Lawyer, CAMC, The Chocolate Lady, Daniel Vineyards, Davis Stuart Culinary Institute, Manic Espresso, Lewisburg Elementary School, Kitchen 304, Montwell Commons Demo Garden, Rebel’s Kitchen, The Greenbrier Sporting Club, The Greenbrier, American Beer Company, Greenbrier Valley Brewing Company, and Hawk Knob Cidery.
Providing information and services were the WV Breastfeeding Institute (nursing station), CAMC Mobile Unit (health screening), and Greenbrier County Humane Society (Adopt a Pet).
The TOOT “Art Block” was back and showcased Carnegie Hall’s teaching artists and educational opportunities. Live clay demonstrations were performed by teaching artists Kathy Talley (basket weaving), Luke Davis (leather working), Fiber Arts Network members (loom weaving), Jeanne Brenneman (ink and wash sketching), John Coffey (plein air water coloring), Amie Durrman (pottery), Karen Leland (felting), WV Woodturners Association members (woodturning), Sean O’Connell (raku kiln firing),Jane DeGroot (barn quilt painting), Tommye Rafes (soap making)and Theresa Filzen/Janis Peery (mosaic tiles).
“The return and expansion of the Art Block for the second year at TOOT provided another great opportunity to showcase the variety of talented teaching artists that participate in the educational programming at Carnegie Hall,” explains Carnegie Hall Educational Director Harmony Flora.
She continues, “For the public to be able to see our instructors doing live demonstrations like the raku firing or the woodturning projects, or a project like barn quilt painting or soap cutting is a great way to connect the process of creating art to the finished product. Many people are familiar with pottery for example, but few understand the process required to turn a lump of clay into a beautiful functional mug or bowl. Knowledge like this broadens individual understanding and appreciation of art forms and helps to spark interest and participation on a personal level. I am a visual learner myself, and it’s always exciting to meet a community member that tells me – ‘hey, I saw that at TOOT, how do I take class?’”
The Lafayette Street Stage music was provided by Blue Twisted Steel and Dark Matters. The Carnegie Hall “stage” featured the Greenbrier River Optimistic Ukulele Players (GROUP), Glorified Dance, Encore School of Dance, and the Greenbrier East High School Spartanettes.
2023 TOOT Street Performers included El Gleno Grande and stilt-walker Marcus Fioravante. John Wyatt and Keith Thomas were traveling musicians.
TOOT also featured a kid’s zone with face painting by Alana Broholm and a puppet theatre by Sharon Ginsberg.
The Greenbrier, Hawk Knob, Ascend WV, Robert’s Antiques, and Patina donated 100% of their proceeds to Carnegie Hall and The Greenbrier Sporting Club donated 100% less their expenses, contributing tremendously to the success of the event as a fundraiser.
Without 2023 TOOT Sponsors the event would not be possible. The Title Sponsor for the second year was Boxell Solutions. The Mountain Transit Authority (MTA) Shuttle was made possible by The French Goat.
Carnegie Hall would like to recognize following contributors:
Volunteers from the Carnegie Hall Board of Directors, TOOT Committee, Lewisburg Rotary, Boy Scout Troop #70, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM), as well as individuals who regularly volunteer for Carnegie Hall contributed largely to the success of the event.
The Greenbrier Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau sold tickets and promoted TOOT.
Special thanks to the City of Lewisburg Police, Fire & Public Works, Gillespie’s Flowers & Productions, Greenbrier Valley CVB, Greenbrier County Health Department, Greenbrier County Humane Society, Greenbrier Valley Theatre, Greenbrier Valley United Way, Lewisburg Rotary Club, Lewisburg United Methodist Church, New River Community and Technical College, Scouts BSA Troop #70, Simms Exxon, The Lewis Theatre, and WVSOM.
The 2023 TOOT Committee included Jill McIntyre (Co-Chair), Jennifer Orr (Co-Chair), Mary Cole Deitz, Kit Lindsey, Sally Bray, Philip McLaughlin, Siobhan Winters, Teri Hartford, Harmony Flora, Cathy Rennard, Kim Beard, and LeeAnn Gillian.
TOOT is made possible by the generosity and support of the community and is always held the 2nd Saturday in October. Plans for next year are already underway. To learn more about how to become a sponsor, vendor, or volunteer next year, please call 304-645-7917 or visit www.carnegiehallwv.org.
Carnegie Hall is a nonprofit organization supported by individual contributions, grants, and fundraising efforts such as TOOT and The Carnegie Hall Gala. The Hall is located at 611 Church Street, Lewisburg. For more information, please call 304-645-7917 or visit www.carnegiehallwv.org.