Taste of Hudson Features Great Food & Entertainment For All!

Taste of Hudson is an annual two-day festival today from noon to 8 p.m. and Sept. 2 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The North End Wine & Beer Garden remains open until 11 p.m. today.

Admission is FREE but "tastes" of foods require a dining card sold at the festival or on-line. Dining cards can be pre-loaded in any amount and submitted for debiting at any of the restaurant tents. "Tastes" generally range from $2 to $5 each. Believe me, it is a fun way to get a chance to try many delicious foods!

Food is the highlight of the event! You can purchase a dining card to sample wares from a long list of great establishments. This year's restaurant roster includes Aladdin's Eatery, Blue Rock Cafe, Donato's Pizza, Flipside, Hershey's Ice Cream, Hudson's Catering, Hudson's Restaurant, Luchita's, Marcelita's Mexican Restaurant, Maui Wowi Hawaiian Coffees & Smoothies, Nosh Eatery & Creative Catering, Cilantro Thai & Sushi Restaurant, One Red Door, Original Steaks & Hoagies, Otani Sushi Bar & Hibachi, pizzaBOGO, Rosewood Grill, Tomato Grill, Zeppe's Italian Bistro, Adams Reserve New York Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Tavern of Stow and North End.

Here's what the 2012 Dining Card looks like! You can reload the card multiple times. (Ignore 2012 dates!!)

Entertainment will be provided from 100 groups, on six stages! -- the Little Tikes Land Stage on the activities green on the northwest corner of state routes 303 and 91 beginning at 11 a.m.; the Suncrest Gardens Stage located near the Culinary Tent, at the corner of Park Lane and First Street beginning at noon; the Henning Software Stage located on the north end of First Street beginning at noon; the Buford T. Hedgehog Wine & Beer Garden Stage located behind the Hudson Library back patio beginning at noon; the Arbor First and Main Stage located on the southeast corner of the First and Main Green beginning at 1:30 p.m.; and the Blue Rock Cafe Stage located on the Gazebo Green on the northeast corner of state Routes 303 and 91 beginning at noon.

Diamond Auto Lease & Sales Luxury Auto Show will feature a selection of the latest vehicles from Mercedes, BMW, Land Rover, Porsche, Cadillac, Kia, Infinity and Lexus next to the library and along First Street.

Enjoy the Art Fair at Taste of Hudson, featuring more than 20 of the finest artists and crafters with their great handmade selections.

In addition there will be a Youth Art Exhibition with creations by Hudson school children; activities and crafts for children and other demonstrations.

The inaugural "Race to The Taste," a 5k run and Family Run will take place on Sept. 2 at 9 a.m. The route will take runners from the North End Wine & Beer Garden through the neighborhoods in the northeast neighborhood quadrant of Hudson and back to the wine & beer garden. Race registration is available at www.tasteofhudson.com

Taste of Hudson is presented by Akron Children's Hospital and promoted by Windstream Communications in Association with Little Tikes, Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, North End, OPI and Pepsi.

Taste of Hudson is produced by volunteers within the community in order to promote Hudson area restaurants, businesses, artists and entertainers, and to provide funding for several charities, including the Safe Kids Coalition of Summit County.

Taste of Hudson is a project of the 2003-04 Leadership Hudson class which is a program of the Rotary Club of Hudson Clocktower. Taste of Hudson, Inc. is a not- for-a profit corporation and is a donor advised fund of the Hudson Community Foundation.

Visit www.tasteofhudson.com for all festival activities and schedules and directions.

See video from Taste of Hudson 2011: http://www.wkyc.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=204856