Taste of Summer promises to be bigger, better

This year’s Taste of Summer promises to be bigger and better.

The Tillsonburg District Hospital Foundation is inviting the community to Tillsonburg’s Memorial Park for Taste of Summer 2023, from 2-9 pm on June 3.

Entrance is by cash donation to the hospital foundation, which is raising money to purchase much-needed new technology and life-saving equipment.

The food-and-music festival features multiple food trucks and vendors, plus a new Vendor Village with up to 20 vendor tents, and live entertainment on the Kinsmen Bandshell.

“There’s more food trucks this year, and some different food trucks,” said Gerry Dearing, Executive Director of the Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital Foundation. “We’ll have Nectar, Shaw’s Ice Cream, Speedy Fries, JTK Farms, Claude’s, Poppin Kettle Corn, and Funnel Cake, so seven food trucks and one food vendor, which is Cool Convenience – the jerk chicken smoker.

“We’re going to have two big tents set up for tables and chairs, so people can sit and eat on either side of the paved path – one on the show side, one on the food truck/Vendor Village side.”

Little Hobby Hill Farm Petting Zoo from Salford will be on site for the children, along with Little Ray’s Nature Ninja Reptile Show.

“Little Ray’s will have a tent, and they will also do a reptile show on the stage from 3-4 pm They have different programs – this one is snakes, and turtles.”

There will also be a touch-a-truck display – including fire truck, dump truck, and boom trucks – face painting and many other children’s activities.

Bring your lawnchairs and enjoy an afternoon lineup of local bands from 2-3 pm and 4-6 pm In the evening from 7-9 pm it’s the headliners, The Do-Overs, a high-energy, female-front cover band ‘playing all your favorite hits’ (see https://sites.google.com/site/thedooverswebsite/song-list).

“They do all kinds of pop, rock, country, a whole mix,” said Dearing, noting the four-person London band played at Woodstock’s Canada Day festival last year. “We’re excited to have them. The music they play… I think this will be a perfect band for the crowd. Let’s get the crowd going and have some fun in the evening. It’s really good music and they are a bunch of characters.”

The Tillsonburg Kinsmen Club will be operating a cash-only beer tent starting at 2 pm There will also be a 50-50 draw in support of the hospital.

Marwood International is the Taste of Summer presenting sponsor. Other donors include 3E Power Services Ltd (food truck donor), ServiceMaster (family tent donor), Moving with the Morgans (petting zoo), RE/MAX AB Realty (touch-a-truck sponsor), Verne’s Carpet One (afternoon music) , Systemair (reptile show) and the TDMH Volunteer Association.