WEST DOVER- Taste the best of the best at the fourth annual Taste of the Deerfield Valley, hosted by Celebrate the Valley, Mount Snow, and the Town of Dover, and sponsored by the Dover Economic Development Committee. The event will be held on September 12, from 10 am to 4 pm, at the Mount Snow base area. The public will vote on the 2009 Best Taste, a prize that went to TC’s for their lamb last year.

More than 12 restaurants will participate including Harriman’s, The Hermitage, Ravello, The Readsboro Inn, The Roadhouse, Gringos, and TC’s. Honora Winery and Madison Brewery will offer wine and beer. The event also features live music, local crafters’ and artisans’ wares, along with events for the kids including Mount Snow’s new bouncy obstacle course, games, and face painting.

Crafters participating include Rug Rats by Claudette LeBrun, Dolores Alles, South Hill Quilts, Sheerness Wood Works, Komfy Kozy, Dutch Trader Ltd., and Christine Abraham Photography, among others.

As with all Celebrate the Valley events, a portion of the proceeds of the Taste will go to the Deerfield Valley Food Pantry. This year Celebrate the Valley and the Food Pantry have created a food contest to find out what’s more popular – fruits or vegetables.

The public is encouraged to vote by donating canned fruit or canned vegetables and check the celebratethevalley.com Web site to see which one is winning the contest. The winner of the Fruit vs. Veggie Contest will be announced at the event. The food pantry will accept canned fruits and veggies all summer long at the participating restaurants. In addition there will be drop-off locations at participating restaurants. Visit www.celebratethevalley.com for details.

The final drive for food will be at the event. The goal of the drive is to fill an entire Moover bus with food. Taste attendees are invited to bring along cans to support the cause and make sure the goal is met.

On Sunday, September 13, Deerfield Valley Community Cares is organizing the “Best Dam Walk”—a great way to walk off any indulging at the Taste. There are several walks available. The one-way walk is the most appropriate for families and will begin at 10 am. Each entering adult will be asked to have $30 worth of sponsors (three people at $10 each or any other combination) and each child under 12 will be asked to have $10 worth of sponsors. The walk will be held rain or shine. Details can be found at www.celebratethevalley.com or call Susan Spengler at (802) 464-5872 after 4 pm.

Tickets for Taste of the Valley are $15 per adult. Children 7 to 12 are $5, under six are free including food.

Celebrate the Valley Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization run by members of the Mount Snow Valley community. A part of the proceeds of all of their events are contributed to local charities and other nonprofits.