The 2024 Taste of Parkersburg will be 6-11 p.m. Saturday at Bicentennial Park in downtown Parkersburg. (File Photo)

PARKERSBURG — The popular Taste of Parkersburg will be held Saturday at Bicentennial Park in downtown Parkersburg, bringing a variety of local dishes, brews, wines and other samples for people to try.

This year’s event, which runs from 6-11 p.m. Saturday, is a couple of weeks earlier than its usual date on the first weekend of June. Organizers said they had really warm temperatures the past couple of years, so they are hoping the date change will make the evening a little more comfortable.

A reduced number of wine booths will be featured this year. Rather than offering several varieties of wine, organizers are only going to offer the ones people seek out every year. Because of this, the blueprint of the event will be smaller, but that doesn’t mean anything has been taken away from the event, they said.

TOP glassware will be returning this year but in a different way. Organizers won’t be handing glasses out to every person, but instead will offer a limited quantity of stemless glassware that can be purchased at the event with cash or liquid tickets.

Drinks will not be served in these cups, but will continue to be served in disposable cups.

Attendees must purchase “liquid” tickets to pay for drinks at wine booths, beer trucks and concession stands. There are four booths located around the event. “Liquid” tickets can be purchased in half sheets for $10 or in full sheets for $20. Attendees will be given a new cup for each new drink. Organizers have brought back wine samples. Attendees can taste a wine before purchasing a glass by getting a 1 oz sample for $1.

The last change for this year’s Taste of Parkersburg will be at the food booths. Organizers are no longer setting guidelines on portion size and cost that food vendors must follow, instead hoping that this change will give more opportunities to the vendors.

Upon entry to the event, attendees will see signs with a QR code. Using a phone to click on the code will take them to all the information needed for the event – menus, band bios, miscellaneous event information and clickable logos that link to the sponsors’ websites.

TOP tickets are available to purchase on the Downtown PKB website at downtownpkb.com, or in person at The Blennerhassett Hotel, 320 Market St., for $20. Tickets purchased Saturday at the event will be $25.

Food samples will be served until 10 p.m. and drinks will be served until 10:30. Attendees will pay food vendors directly for samples. The vendors are accepting cash and/or cards for payment. Those needing cash will find ATM’s close to the event, inside the Blennerhassett Hotel lobby and at the WesBanco and Huntington Bank drive-throughs in the 400 block of Market Street.

The food vendors will include: Camden Clark Medical Center, D’Paulo’s Pizzeria, El Mariachi, Hangry’s Food Truck & Catering, JP Henry’s, Mulberry Lane Country Store, Pappy’s Lip Smackin BBQ, Parkersburg Brewing Company, Philippines Best, The Blennerhassett Restaurant & Lounge, The Little Stirr, The Lost Anchor and Wine Down on Market.

The beer distributors will be Mountain State Beverage, Sprigg’s Distributing Company and The Beverage Market.

The Taste also includes live entertainment with music by Bad Decision from 5:45-8:15 p.m. and Division Street from 8:30-11 p.m.

This year’s sponsors include Justin Raber Attorney at Law, title sponsor; Deitzler Foundation, volunteer sponsor; United Bank, platinum sponsor; Grogg’s Home Services, Legacy Real Estate Professionals, Pickering Associates and WVU Medicine Camden Clark, gold sponsors; and CAS Cable and Spriggs Distributing Co, event sponsors.

For more information on the Taste of Parkersburg or any other Downtown PKB project and event, go to the website downtownpkb.com or Facebook page @downtownpkb.

Wayne Towner can be reached at wtowner@newsandsentinel.com