By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Sponsorships are available for the Taste of Chilton.

This joint fundraiser of Senior Connection and the Rotary Club of Chilton County gives community members the opportunity to sample food from local restaurants, while supporting local projects.

A number of sponsorship levels are available to support the event.

Platinum is $1,000, gold $500 and silver $250.

“Silver has four tickets and your name on the food table,” Vanessa McKinney, Senior Connection director, said. “Gold has your name on the banner plus four tickets, and platinum is name and logo on the banner plus eight tickets.

GordonSwenson, president of the Rotary Club of Chilton County, said the platinum sponsors will have the largest font on the banner.

Thirty food vendors, including many returning from last year, are expected to participate.

The event will be Sept. 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Sponsors will also be listed as a part of the events promotion on social media.

The fundraising goal for the groups this year is $15,000. Funds will be split between Senior Connection and the Rotary Club. The Senior Connection portion will go toward activities and saving for a 36-passenger bus.

Swenson said the Rotary Club portion of the funds from the 2017 event were used to provide iPads to a Verbena third-grade class, sponsor students for a leadership conference, donate to Butterfly Bridge and DHR teens for Christmas.

Some of the funds will also be used to purchase a dictionary for every third-grade student in Chilton County.

“It’s one of the best things when kids get that first book,” Swenson said.

The dictionary presentation is expected to become an annual project for the club.

Swenson emphasized that all the funds raised are used locally.

“We have a really great committee this year,” McKinney said. “We have a lot of Senior Connection members, and the whole Rotary Club is involved.”

Rotary and Senior Connection leaders were inspired to start the annual joint fundraiser last year after visiting Taste of Autauga.

“Our first one last year was just as good as theirs,” McKinney said. “I was just so proud of the whole community coming out, and the vendors that participated. It was just really, really great.”

Tickets for this year’s event will be $25 per person and can be purchased through Senior Connection and Rotary Club of Chilton County members. Tickets will be available starting in mid-June.

Organizers are encouraging attendees to mingle throughout the night getting plates of samples

and going to different tables to meet new people. Swenson said he enjoyed “the camaraderie you could see with everyone” last year.

Attendees can start at any station and sample any and all of the 30 options.

New for this year, attendees will vote on a favorite vendor in sweet, savory and best overall.

For more information, please call Senior Connection at 205-755-8227 or Swenson at 205-907-4219.