Mark your calendar and plan to attend A Taste of Worthington, the Chamber's 20th annual food sampling festival, on Friday, July 15, from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., in the parking area of OfficeScape Corporate Center, 350 W. Wilson Bridge Road.  

The Taste menu is bigger and better than ever, with 24 restaurants. The Shops at Worthington Place is the presenting sponsor for the event. View more details on the Chamber's website, and watch for details of the menu and sponsor displays in upcoming e-mails. 

The event offers great tastes and family fun as guests enjoy affordably priced appetizers, entrées and desserts from area restaurants in a festive block party atmosphere, with live music and family activities. Sponsors have the opportunity to showcase their products and services to approximately 3,000 guests, and area restaurants can show off tastes of their best as they vie for honors in the "People's Choice" competition for the crowd's favorite foods.

Volunteers are needed for several upcoming Chamber events and projects. Many members find volunteering a rewarding way to get to know other business professionals and increase business connections, while helping the Chamber grow.

Enjoy event planning? Join us on the planning committees for A Taste of Worthington, the Chamber's annual Golf Outing, Old Worthington Market Day and a new Oktoberfest-themed fundraiser scheduled for October. Please call us at 888-3040 or e-mail connect@worthingtonchamber.org to sign up as a volunteer for one of these activities.

A Taste of Worthington
The Chamber supports members in the food and hospitality business by hosting A Taste of Worthington, a fun, outdoor food-sampling festival. As many as 3,000 people have attended the event, sampling a variety of delicious, affordable food from local eateries and being entertained with music and activities for the entire family.

A committee of volunteers is busy planning the food festival and event activities, recruiting restaurants, sponsors and volunteers and promoting the event.  

Volunteers are needed to work in two- to three-hour shifts throughout the day of the event. They will set up tables, chairs, tents and additional event signage, collect entrance fees, staff the Chamber's beverage stations and information booth, and assist in clean-up following the event. Each volunteer is provided free beverages and an event T-shirt sponsored by Absolute Impressions. A Taste of Worthington event is planned for July 15.  

Golf Outing at Worthington Hills Country Club
The Chamber's annual golf outing in the fall provides members with the perfect opportunity to entertain a client, to reward associates for their contributions to the organization or to continue networking with other Chamber members.  The golf committee, chaired this year by Bill Alsnauer of State Farm, is planning the Sept. 12 outing and is responsible for determining fundraising goals, outing fees and event activities, recruiting sponsors and volunteers and acquiring donations from members for prizes and awards. On the day of the event, volunteers work in two- to three-hour shifts throughout the day, starting at 10 a.m. and ending at 5:30 p.m. They set up for the event, staff registration tables, sell prize package tickets, organize prizes, staff beverage carts, and promote skill contests at selected holes. Each volunteer is provided free food and beverages.

Old Worthington Market Day
The Chamber hosts Old Worthington Market Day, the community's largest one-day festival, to promote the downtown business district and raise funds for the organization. An estimated 20,000 people attend the event each year on the streets of downtown Worthington and the Village Green. It features nearly 300 artists and craftspeople selling their handcrafted goods and works of art. The next Market Day is planned for Sept. 24, 2011, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 a.m., rain or shine.

A volunteer committee assists with the staging of the event, promotion, logistics and recruitment of sponsors. Prior to the event, volunteers deliver promotional materials to business and public sites in the community. Volunteers serve two- to three-hour shifts throughout the day of the event, starting at 6:30 a.m. and ending at 6 p.m. They assist exhibitors in locating their booth positions when they arrive, assist vendors throughout the day and set up, take down and staff the Chamber Information Booth.

Join us for The Get Smart! Business Book Club, a Chamber partnership with Worthington Libraries. The group meets quarterly at a Chamber-member business. McVay's Ethan Allen, 6767 N. High St., will host our July 7 book discussion group, beginning at 5:30 p.m.  

There is no charge to attend the event. Pre-registration is encouraged through our REGISTER NOW link. Light hors d'oeuvres and beverages will be furnished, courtesy of Worthington Libraries and the Chamber.

The book selection for the July 7 discussion group is "Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath.  The Heath brothers (coauthors of Made to Stick) address motivating employees, family members, and ourselves in their analysis of why we too often fear change.   

If you would like to reserve a copy of the book from the library, click on this link and select the "Reserve" option directly under the picture of the book. You'll need your library card number and PIN number (usually the last four digits of your phone number) to reserve materials online.  

Young Professionals of Worthington (YpoW) will gather to serve the community and celebrate their successes at an after-party on Wednesday, July 27.

The event includes a camp volunteer project at YMCA North, 1640 Sandalwood Place, Columbus 43229, where summer camp is among many projects serving area youth. At the Y, volunteers will complete several large projects, such as painting, mulching/landscaping and odd jobs to renew and repair the facility. The volunteer activities will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude at 4 p.m.

Following a one-hour break to clean up and/or change clothes, the after-party mixer for social and professional exchange will be held at House Wine, 644 High St., Worthington, from 5 to 7 p.m.  Enjoy cheese and crackers sponsored by House Wine owner Donnie Austin -- and Happy Hour prices on many fine wines and beers.

Pre-registration is requested. Attendees who pre-register will be eligible for a door prize drawing and will have preprinted name tags. The event is free for YPoW members. For prospective members, $30 is your admission to the event AND your annual membership fee if your company is a current Chamber member.  

YPoW is grateful for the year-round sponsorship of AAA Ohio Auto Club and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield during our 2011 program year.