Taste of Bloomington offers food, entertainment

If Bloomington smells good enough to eat, that’s because it is.

The 28th annual Taste of Bloomington will take place from 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday at the Showers Common at the Corner of Seventh and Morton streets.

Admission is $6 and free for children 12 and under. Food items at each of the vendors can cost between $1 and $3.

Along with food, the event will also feature live music and children’s activities.

Thirty-five restaurants are participating in this year’s Taste — some old, some new.
Seven restaurants — including Rumba Cafe, Monroe County Pizza and SOBON — are participating in the event for the first time this year.

But some restaurants such as Kilroy’s on Kirkwood, King Gyros and Trojan Horse are Taste veterans, said Talisha Coppock, Executive Director of Downtown Bloomington Inc.

Chris Marshall, one of the kitchen managers at Trojan Horse, said the Taste gets a restaurant’s name out to the public.

“It is a lot of fun,” Marshall said. “You get to enjoy other food as well as the community.”

Trojan Hourse will be serving its gyros, hummus and baklava.

“We’ve got the best gyros,” Marshall said. “We’ve got damn good food.”

Each year, there is a 10 percent increase in attendance, Coppock said. Last year, around 9,000 people attended, he said.

The vendors must be equipped for the weather and large crowd.

FARMbloomington has participated in the event twice, and each year ran out of food, manager James Lewis said.

“We are coming better prepared this year,” he said.

FARMbloomington will be serving many items, including its mango iced tea.

“For a hot day, we are serving items that are on the chill side,” Lewis said.