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Taste of Marietta slated for Saturday

MARIETTA — Those traveling down Putnam Street on Saturday will have to make a detour around the newest event in the Pioneer City–and may want to stop for a bite.

From 5-10 p.m., The Taste of Marietta – Taking it to the Streets fundraiser will be held in the 200 block of Putnam Street in downtown Marietta. The event is a benefit for the Ely Chapman Education Foundation.

Samples will include Greek food, chocolate treats, several varieties of pizza, hot dogs, desserts and more, all available for the price of a ticket.

Smitty’s Pizza will be one of the food sample providers at the event. Owner Juanita Lannigan said the restaurant has helped the Ely Chapman Education Foundation in the past.

“I like to be helpful to the foundation. We’ll be making a couple specialty pizzas for the event,” she said.

The event will feature not only food samples from several restaurants from around the area, but non-food vendors and live entertainment on a stage set up directly on Putnam Street. Performing will be High Schools That Rock, area students from grades 1-12 who focus on playing guitar. Also playing will be a ukulele ensemble simply called “The Ukulele Group.” The Stage Door next to the Peoples Bank Theatre will have live performances inside throughout the evening as well.

Gary Williams, the development director for Ely Chapman, said he wanted to try something different than the other fundraisers they’ve held. Money raised will be used to finance programs like the S.U.N.S.H.I.N.E. Learning Station and the Middle School Program. With half of the students enrolled at the foundation receiving scholarships, the funds are greatly needed, Williams said.

“Roughly 40 percent of families are two paychecks away from financial crisis,” Williams said.

With money so tight for families, the funds from the event are vital for the development of their students.

Ely Chapman succeeded in coinciding the event with Marietta College’s Family Weekend.

“We hire 90 percent of our teachers from Marietta College, so it’s really nice to be able to have this at the same time as Marietta College’s Family Weekend,” said Alice Chapman, founder and chairman of Ely Chapman.

Vendor spaces are still available for the Taste of Marietta.

“There is no charge for vendors to set up, they just have to provide free samples of their food,” Williams said.

Tickets for the Taste of Marietta are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. They are available at the Ely Chapman Education Foundation or at the event itself.

Restaurants participating include Putnam Chocolate, da Vinci’s, Living River Cafe, Smitty’s Pizza, Over the Moon Pizza, Flying Dogs, Parkhurst Catering, The Original Pizza Place, Tasteful Occasions, Elenie’s Souvlaki Greek Food.

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