Altrusa presents 27th annual Taste of Fort Smith

More than 1,500 people came hungry on Tuesday (Oct. 28), ready to fill their plates with a wide assortment of food at the 27th annual Taste of Fort Smith. Hosted at the Fort Smith Convention Center, the event featured gourmet selections from several dozen area restaurants, caterers, bakeries and vendors.

The event kicked off Tuesday morning with the first of two sessions. Lunch lasted from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with dinner taking place from 5 to 7 p.m. More than 50 participating food and beverage providers were set up throughout the center, serving up everything from delectable soups and entrees to mouth-watering dips and desserts.

Guests made their way from vendor to vendor sampling the wide array of selections. Because of the vast number of choices, most made second and even third trips back to the line to reload their plates.

Uncle Louie G was among a handful of vendors making its debut at Taste of Fort Smith. The Italian Ice and specialty dessert shop is new to the area, having opened in Fort Smith next to the Malco 16 over the summer.

"This is our first year here and it has been so much fun," said owner Melina Himes. "We are offering four different flavors here, but we have more than 60 different varieties in our store. We hope that many guests from Taste will come check us out after today."

Admission to the event also included the chance to win one of the many door prizes up for grabs. Several participating restaurants donated gift certificates for the drawing. Guests could also vote for their favorite table in several categories, including "Favorite Restaurant," "Best Dessert," "Friendliest Staff," and "Best Decor." The always-popular "Taste of Fort Smith" cookbook was also available for purchase.

Taste of Fort Smith is presented annually by the Altrusa Club of Fort Smith. The 20-member group works on a variety of projects year-round, raising money to help support local non-profits and community causes. Tickets for Taste were $12 in advance or $15 at the door.

Since its inception, Taste of Fort Smith has raised more than $340,000 for local charities. Organizers hope to bring in more than $25,000 this year to benefit the Crawford County Volunteers for Literacy, the Donald W. Reynolds Crisis Intervention Center,  the Fort Smith Public Library, the Literacy Council of Western Arkansas, Project Compassion, and the Sebastian County Humane Society.