In 1995, the revitalization of Carson City was just beginning. Small shops and restaurants were slowly returning to downtown buildings, bringing along a sense of excitement and opportunity to an area that had been long depressed. After discovering a restaurant serving delicious creations in a hidden backroom of a bar, the idea for the Taste of DownTown was born.
Advocates To End Domestic Violence, a non-profit agency providing services to survivors, had been struggling to keep the doors of the shelter open, producing and participating in 17 fundraisers annually. The staff and volunteers were looking to replace the dozen plus annual events with one large event that could grow and produce the necessary revenue needed to provide services to those in need. The Taste of DownTown proved to be the ideal opportunity to meet both the needs of the agency as well as increase awareness of the culinary, retail, and historic downtown district of the capital city.
During the first Taste, 500 tickets were sold with seven restaurants and one band providing the food and entertainment for an evening that would grow into a signature event for the community. As the Taste has grown, so has the City’s commitment to invest in the revitalization of the historic downtown community. The Taste has proven to be the biggest and best attended event to date with 2,000 tickets sold, 40+ restaurants providing tantalizing tastes, 15 shops and galleries, and seven live bands playing into the warm summer evening. What began as a humble hope, has become a popular celebration of fabulous food, music, shopping, and excellent social gathering.
