A date is set for an annual tradition that allows residents to get a taste of Carter County.

Each year the Elizabethton/Carter County Chamber of Commerce hosts the “Taste of Carter County” event featuring local restaurants. The Taste serves as a way to showcase the variety of wonderful food available locally while helping to raise funds for a local non-profit agency.

This year, the Taste of Carter County will be held on Thursday, Oct. 12. In years past, Chamber has hosted the event in September.

“The reason we pushed it back a little is because there are so many things going on in September,” Chamber Director Tonya Stevens told the Elizabethton Star on Thursday. “We didn’t want to take away from any of the local agencies that host events in September.”

Stevens said the later date would also allow local restaurants who provide catering to showcase some of the items they will have available for catering holiday events in November and December.

The Chamber mailed out letters to all the restaurants in Elizabethton and Carter County this week detailing how they can be a part of the Taste of Carter County event, Stevens said.

“We will be following up on those with phone calls and emails soon,” she said. “If any of the restaurants read about this before they receive their letter, or if they don’t get a letter and want to talk to us, they can contact the Chamber and we’ll answer any questions they have.”

Stevens said the Chamber hopes to have between 15 and 20 restaurants take part in the event. This year, she said, the Chamber is also reaching out to food trucks in the region that also set up shop in Elizabethton on occasion to be part of the event as well.

This year’s event will be held at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology. For the past few years, the Taste was held at Elizabethton High School. Stevens said the Chamber felt the change in date could possibly conflict with other events at the high school, and they didn’t want to interfere as the school system has always been excellent to work with regarding the event.

The new venue will also allow restaurants to set up shop inside the large meeting room at the TCAT and the food trucks set up in the parking lot with attendees moving back and forth to sample all the food.

A special committee formed by the Chamber selected the newly formed Isaiah 117 House as this year’s recipient of proceeds from the event. Isaiah 117 House was founded to help provide care to children who as they transition into foster care.

Stevens said the choice was a difficult one to make.

“We had 11 or 12 applicants, and they are all doing fabulous work in our community,” Stevens said. “We hope everyone who applied this year will apply again next year.”

Tickets for the event will be $20 per person, and Stevens said they should go on sale sometime in late August. More information about the event will be released as the event draws nearer, she added.

For more information, contact the Elizabethton/Carter County Chamber of Commerce at 423-547-3850.