'Taste of Lakeville' Getting Tastier

Bigger, better, and way more bang for the buck.

That’s the goal of this year’s Taste of Lakeville scheduled for 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 12, on the grounds of the Lakeville Area Art Center.

The Lakeville Rotary Club’s annual fundraising event is expanding and aims to provide more gastronomic gluttony, sampling suds and wonderful wine than ever before.

The 2011 installment boasts more than 35 food and beverage vendors that have lined up for this year’s event. All of them will feature unlimited tastings of their best gourmet indulgences and culinary delights, along with an impressive array of wine and hand-crafted beer.

“We’ve got more than 400 different varieties of wines at last count,” said Steve Michaud, Lakeville’s parks and recreation director and one of the event organizers. “It’s almost like you have to pick your poison. There are so many great food opportunities and sampling items, you’ll have to decide ‘where do I go? And how many times do I go there?”

Michaud has been involved with the Taste of Lakeville since its inception nine years ago and has seen the event grow quickly from its humble beginnings.

“It’s grown exponentially from a couple of hundred to up to two thousand,” says Michaud who has been busy prepping the art center's grounds so festival organizers can begin erecting tents and entertainment stages.

Last year’s event drew more than 1,500 connoisseurs and fun-seekers and attendance is expected to be high again this year. “We’re ready for it,” says Michaud.

“We’re on or ahead of schedule with everything,” said Ken Mosier, the event’s co-chair. “We’ve got an experienced team this year and we’re rockin’ and rollin’ and running well.”

Mosier’s enthusiasm is spurred on by what he’s called “surprising” ticket sales. “They’ve really come on strong,” he said.

Mosier said organizers are planning for a larger crowd due to the increasing popularity of the event.

“Guests will notice a larger footprint this year,” he said. “We’ve expanded into the Art Center parking lot and broadened the venue of events. The big thing is there will be more room for people to spread out and relax and a lot more tables, too.”

Michaud says the event has taken on some of the feel of favorite Pan-O-Prog events and is beginning to resemble a reunion where people look forward to meeting up each year. Michaud is the “official” photographer for the event and says seeing attendees have fun is one of his favorite part of the evening.

“I really enjoy seeing the people have fun, relaxing and watching the stress of every day going out of them. It’s a great event.”

So what’s new this year and what can attendees who have never been before expect?

Food and Beverage

Come hungry. The Lakeville area’s best restaurants will be serving up all-you-can eat samplings of some of their favorite dishes and new creations. Sampling every booth might result in severe belt buckle rebellion. Wearing elastic pants might be the best strategy as Michaud says attendees are usually in a constant state of irresistible “grazing” all night. An ocean of craft beers, wine distributors and other beverage vendors will also be on hand to help wash all the grub down.

Entertainment

Three stages will simultaneously fire up with a variety of live entertainment acts including The Dweebs, one of the Midwest’s premier party bands. The cheekily bespectacled band has long been a top draw at outdoor festivals, street dances and clubs for their high-caliber musicianship and energetic stage shows that translate well to large venues.

Chasin’ Mason, a countrified rock band from Wisconsin is a popular up and coming group with a melting pot of musical influences that range from Merle Haggard to U2.

Michael Loonan, a Lakeville landmark on the piano, will also supply his formidable repertoire of popular standards and contemporary jazz to the evening.

New: Cooking Demonstrations

Added for this year will be a fourth stage featuring cooking demonstrations by some of the area’s prominent chefs. Bryan Shouten of Brackett’s Crossing, Molly Dollarhide of Highview Hills, and Jeff LeBeau of the Depot Bar & Grill will take turns providing hourly instructional demonstrations that showcase techniques for making some of their signature recipes.

Auctions

A live and silent auction will give attendees the opportunity to bid on more than 100 items. Bidders can choose to try their luck at obtaining everything from an African Safari to Jethro Tull concert tickets. If you’ve ever wanted to ride the Zamboni at a Minnesota Wild game, your best chance might be to bid on that item at the Taste of Lakeville where a ticket package will also include the coveted spin around the rink between periods.

Other unique items include a hot air balloon ride, a trophy brown trout fishing trip and a child ride along with Police Chief Thomas Vonhof at the Pan-O-Prog parade. Vacation packages for Las Vegas, northern Minnesota resorts and along “The World’s Most Beautiful Beaches” are also available.

Gift certificates galore cover the gamut from restaurants, golf courses, retail stores and other donors as well as a bounty of other donated items.

About Taste of Lakeville

Taste of Lakeville is organized by the Lakeville Rotary Club and serves as that organization’s premier fundraising event. Proceeds from the event help to cover club donations toward scholarships and community projects throughout the year. Past totals have ranged as high as $60,000 to $80,000 earned by the event to be dispersed within the Lakeville community.

The 2011 event will be held this coming Thursday, May 12 from 5 to 9 p.m. on the grounds of the Lakeville Area Arts Center.

Tickets are $30.00 in advance or $35.00 at the door and include all entertainment, food and beverages. You must be 21 years of age to attend the event and proof of age will be required. Tickets are available from a number of area retailers and are also available online.