The 34th annual Taste of Our Towns (TOOT) festival takes place Saturday, Oct. 13, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Thousands of residents and visitors from across the region gather on the streets of historic downtown Lewisburg to sample delicious food from local restaurants, civic clubs, and nonprofit organizations.
But TOOT is much more than a food festival. In addition to food vendors, the festival also features three entertainment stages, a climbing wall, a dunking booth, children’s activities, traveling performers, and much more. The shops in downtown Lewisburg are also open during the day.
This year, TOOT includes vendors from surrounding areas, such as Snowshoe Resort in Pocahontas County and Elmwood in Monroe County. “We are hoping visitors can “taste” their way around the region,” said Carnegie Hall Development Director Anne Bowling Tuckwiller. “It was our goal this year to really encourage participation from the communities we serve throughout the region, which include Greenbrier, Pocahontas, Monroe, Summers, and Nicholas Counties.”
Entertainment for the 2018 TOOT includes Long Point String Band, The Long Shots, and Thomas Taylor playing on the Lafayette Street stage; the West Virginia Renaissance Festival performing on the Church Street stage; and the Lewisburg Elementary fifth grade choir, Greenbrier Valley Optimistic Ukulele Band, Heartstrings Academy, and Eastern Greenbrier Middle School Band performing on Carnegie Hall’s upper terrace. John Wyatt will roam the street with his guitar and Keith Taylor will play banjo at the green space.
This year’s activities feature a climbing wall, courtesy of the West Virginia National Guard, the Greenbrier Sherriff’s Department dunking booth, the Greenbrier Humane Society Adopt-a-thon, WVSOM Sigma Sigma Phi providing wellness screenings, and free guided tours of historic Carnegie Hall.
All food purchases on the day of TOOT require the use of tokens. Tokens cost $1 each and are sold in increments of five. If you wish to buy tokens in advance, they are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office (611 Church Street, Lewisburg, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., cash/check/credit cards accepted) and the Greenbrier County Convention & Visitors Bureau (905 Washington Street W., 9 a.m.-5 p.m., cash only). Tokens are also be available at the Carnegie Hall token booths on the day of the event. TOOT tokens do not sell out.
Use the hashtag #TOOT2018 for all of your TOOT images on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter on the day of the event to enter to win a fabulous a Carnegie Hall T-shirt. The winner, who will be selected at 2:30 p.m. at the Carnegie Hall booth, will be notified by private message.
Please note that pets are not permitted on festival grounds (with the exception of service animals) due to food safety regulations. Thank you for your cooperation.
Carnegie Hall WV 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.
