Locals braved chilly weather on Saturday for food, fun and entertainment at Hillsboro’s annual Taste of Highland County event.
Event organizer and Hillsboro Uptown Business Association President Sharon Hughes, who is also the media sales director at The Times-Gazette, said the event was well-attended and is expected to grow further next year.
Hughes said a number of vendors sold out of their items and plan to return to the 2019 edition.
Steve Farris, an area magician, enamored a gang of youngsters with sleight-of-hand tricks in the afternoon, and local singing talent Tatum Burns blew the crowd away with her vocal performance, according to Hughes.
“She’s dynamite,” Hughes said.
Hughes said the event, which began in 2015, was originally intended to give locals a chance to show off their cooking skills, but it expanded to include local crafters and other vendors.
“I kind of wanted to bring back what I remember as a child, when they did ice cream socials on the courthouse lawn,” Hughes said. “Everything was uptown. I wanted to bring back a taste of that.”
Hughes thanked Merchants National Bank and NCB for sponsoring the event, Jason Burns of Jumpstart Music for lining up local entertainment, and Ann Runyon-Elam and The Times-Gazette staff for helping organize the event.
“And thanks to everybody for coming out, even though the weather was chilly,” Hughes said. “A good time was had by all.”
Reach David Wright at 937-402-2570.
