Hundreds of people filled the Black River Coliseum Thursday night to sample everything from fried fish and chicken-on-a-stick to sweet treats at the Taste of the Town.
For the 11th year, the event has been held to raise funds for the Boys & Girls Club of Poplar Bluff, and this year offered attendees a chance to sample food and drinks from more than 25 vendors.
"This is the perfect mix of community wanting to support an incredible mission blended with great food and just great people getting together," said Boys & Girls Club director Chris Rushin.
While Rushin won't know the total raised from the event until later, he said, "we have 60 tables here (and) nearly every place is taken; there has to be 250 people walking around."
Derek Allen, owner of Jen's Diner, was "barely" keeping up as he fried USA Delta catfish.
"I'm cooking it fresh right here," Allen said. " ...They're taking it away as fast as I can cook it."
A first-year vendor, Allen said, he chose to attend as he was "wanting to share the good food and get more people" aware of his restaurant on South Westwood Boulevard.
Allen said he also wanted to support the Boys & Girls Club, which is a "good thing for the community."
Lines formed throughout the evening to sample Allen's catfish, as well as his pork chops, which he described as a pork loin cut, tenderized and breaded in "our seasoning."
Allen also offered homemade pork rinds and desserts -- pies, including coconut and chocolate meringue pies, as well as cheesecake. For much of the night, Jen's Diner was in the top three for the people's choice award.
"I didn't realize it would be that busy; people are enjoying the food," he said.
Allen's pork rinds and fried fish were among the food samples being enjoyed by Mike and Kathy Lambert.
"We're doing well ... so far so good," Mike Lambert said. "We're having a good time; there's a lot of great food."
Mike Lambert said they were about half way through the vendors and liked "just about everything" they had tasted.
Kathy Lambert said she was enjoying a salad, which contained such ingredients as strawberries, from Colton's Steakhouse.
The Lamberts haven't attended every year, but had been to several in the past, and it worked out for them to "stop in" this year.
Kathy Lambert recalled how the event only took a "portion of the space" in the coliseum as there weren't as many vendors in years' past.
And, her husband added, not as many tables, which made for more standing and eating. "It's come a long way," he said.
Seated at the Gamma Healthcare table, Mike Lambert indicated the business "likes to support the community," and they were there to support the Boys & Girls Club.
"We love the Boys & Girls organization," said Andrea LaTrasse, owner of Elegant Edibles. "I have a little boy; I can't wait until he's big enough" to participate.
A fifth-year vendor, LaTrasse said, she loves "supporting them; it's a good time."
This year's attendance, LaTrasse said, looked good.
With a motto of "making your sweet dreams come true one sweet bite at a time," LaTrasse said, she and her staff brought "lots of cupcakes, sugar cookies and gooey-butter cake" for everyone to sample.
"They always hit us last," she said.
One of the first stops for many was Nick's Corner Store booth for a sampling of what owner Carol Brotman described as it's signature dish -- the chicken-on-a-stick (deep fried chicken, potatoes and vegetables).
"Those baked beans are awesome," Brotman told an attendee. Also offered at the booth were barbecue sandwiches and chicken tenders.
Although it was a last-minute decision to attend the event, which Brotman described as great, she is familiar with the Boys & Girls Club as principal of the Poplar Bluff Kindergarten Center.
"We love Boys & Girls Club; we think it is a great organization," Brotman said. "It's great for our kids. We've seen the advantages."
In addition to supporting the Boys & Girls Club, Brotman said, the event also offered her an opportunity to "get our food out there.
"I want our store to be a food destination, not an impulse buy. I want people to intentionally go there" to eat.
With an ever-expanding menu, "I want the store to be known for its food and deli more than anything else" it has to offer, Brotman said.
Joining Nick's Corner Store as a first-time vendor was the Lil' Black River Cafe at Grandin, Mo.
"One of our customers who comes out and works at the college, she invited us to come out," explained owner Allen Porder. "We decided to close on a Thursday night and come out and support the Girls & Boys Club. It's a good cause."
Porder said the event also was good for his restaurant, located on the Little Black River.
"It's good exposure for us," said Porden, who was hoping the taste of his food would "get people to make the ride to Grandin."
Porden said he had good response from people stopping to sample his homemade cinnamon rolls, as well as his spinach and artichoke dip, vodka dijon chicken and a blackened barramudi (white fish).
"We've seen a lot of our customers" and hope to make new ones, Porden said.
The food being offered by the vendors was "excellent ... I ate more than I should of; it was so good," said Len Morse, vice president/senior commercial loan officer at The Bank of Missouri.
As a first-time attendee, Morse described the event as being "very well put together."
Morse said he had heard of the event and decided it "looked good," and "it was. We were excited to come and try it out."
Morse also liked the idea of supporting the Boys & Girls Club.
"We will come back again ... we enjoyed it very much," Morse said.
Cameron Duvall described himself as a "repeat customer" as he enjoyed himself so much at last year's event.
"It was so much fun last year; it was a blast," Duvall said. "Let's do it again."
Having to stand last year, "we decided to get a table," said Duvall, who indicated he had eaten "too much, way too much."
Duvall said it was nice to have so many of Poplar Bluff's vendors in one area and getting to taste what each has to offer.
"It's great tasting the food, of course, but it's a great cause," Duvall said. "Anything we can do to help them out" is good.
Adrienne Moore of Poplar Bluff agreed.
"It's definitely worth the money for a great cause," Moore said. " ...We come every year. It looks like its bigger; its getting better every year."
The energy and atmosphere, according to Moore, were great, as was the food.
Along with the food, the evening offered music by the Brothers Walker and a limbo contest.
The event offered "a lot of food, a lot of people (and) a lot of things," said Poplar Bluff resident Dana Burgess.
Having been invited by a friend, who "got a table," the first-time attendee said, it looked like everyone was "having a good time; there's a little bit of a positive vibe."