"Taste of Tucker" on Oct. 4 features great food and bands, needs volunteers

  Fabulous food and great music are the main ingredients for the fifth annual Taste of Tucker, to be held Saturday, Oct. 4, on the community‘s Main Street, 1-6 p.m.  Featuring savory dishes from more than two dozen local restaurants plus a full program of live bands, the celebration will appeal to all ages.

  The music will be tasty.  Business Casual, a four-piece band out of Duluth, will play classic rock, R&B and funk.  The Forgiven, a local faith-based ensemble, will cover power-rock songs.  The headliner, Gareth Asher & the Earthlings, is a folk-rock band whose founder earned Musician of the Year honors at the Atlanta Chozen Awards in 2010.

  Special attractions include a children’s play area, a farmers market, and special drink venues.  Football fans will have access to television screens to monitor their favorite college teams.

  “This is a wonderful opportunity for area residents to show their support for local restaurants and for the restaurants to showcase their dishes,” said event coordinator Art Wood.  “We anticipate more than 5,000 of our neighbors will come for the food, the music and the small town fellowship.”

  Proceeds from the event benefit local charities NETWorks Cooperative Ministries and Day League.  “Our partnership with Taste of Tucker has been very valuable,“ explained Holly Duncan, director of NETWorks, a coalition of churches that fights hunger and poverty in the community.  “We contribute volunteer hours to planning and conducting the event, which allows us to reach more residents with the message of what we do.  Last year’s Taste of Tucker raised more than $10,000 for NETWorks, and we believe this year’s celebration will be bigger and better than ever.”

  Volunteers are being recruited to work two-hour shifts running the children’s play area, moving trash bags to collection points, or coordinating parking.  To sign up as a volunteer, or for more information on the event, go to www.tasteoftucker.com.