LINN — This year’s Taste of Osage County will be held on Sept. 14 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Linn City Park. The event, which was created by the Osage County Agritourism Council, is now organized by Osage County University of Missouri Extension Office Engagement Specialist in Community Economic Development Elizabeth Anderson and Central Missouri Community Action (CMCA) Community Organizer Jennifer Millard.

“Jen and I both started working in Osage County around the same time,” said Anderson, “and we had some really great mentors who had previously worked in the area, who were involved with Osage County Agritourism Council. Before our time here, they had this event, Taste of Osage County, and it had fallen by the wayside. It kind of fizzled out. And she and I both thought ‘We could do this. We could revive this event.’ This is our fourth annual that we’ve done together, and it’s really fun.”

Over the years since its inception, the event has been opened up to include more than just food and drink. This year’s lineup is larger than ever, with over 50 vendors and organizations participating. A list of vendors has been provided.

“We want to showcase (local small businesses),” Anderson said, “Even, like Jen said, we have nonprofits and school groups, and we encourage them to fund raise if they want to, or raise awareness of a project that they’re working on.

“But also for some of our entrepreneurs, who maybe haven’t had a lot of experience with craft shows because some of those, you know, they fill up really fast and they have very high booth fees. This is maybe just a chance for them to dip their toes in that water and see if they could really make their side hustle work for them and have it become an entrepreneurial opportunity.”

There will also be a food drive, and the first 100 people to bring non-perishable food items to the designated location will receive a bag with the event logo.

Duo SARAH & MARK will be performing live music from noon until 2 p.m. SARAH & MARK play covers from a variety of musical genres, including Americana, country, rock & roll, and roots/blues. SARAH & MARK can be found on Facebook for more information.

Jenn Millard from Central Missouri Community Action said this year’s event will be slightly different, as they are blocking off Lee Street. Parking will be available at the VFW and Barefoot Event Center.

“We’re always looking for ways to make this event bigger and better,” Millard said, “We’re really excited this year and hope to see a lot of people there.”