A celebration highlighting all things Lititz, including its food, music, and artistic community, will take place on Friday, June 3, from 5 to 9 p.m. as part of the annual Taste of Lititz event, presented by Venture Lititz. The neighborhood block party will be set up on Main Street in downtown Lititz, which will be closed from Water Street to Broad Street.

"The event was canceled in 2020 and reimagined as a 10-day event last year," said Rebecca Branle, executive director of Venture Lititz. "Put simply, we really haven't had a full-blown Taste of Lititz in two years."

During the event, Lititz-area restaurants will sell small "tastes" of their most popular dishes, allowing attendees to sample menu items from multiple vendors. Beverages, including beer, wine and spirits, will also be offered for sale.

"All the restaurants will be outside on the street," Branle explained. "We plan to have between 20 and 30 restaurants represented. Taste (of Lititz) includes our downtown restaurants, as well as other restaurants and food vendors within the 17543 ZIP code."

New this year, there will be no charge to attend the event. "We've committed ourselves to creating events that don't require payment for access. We want everyone to feel welcome without barriers," said Branle. "The only cost will be for the tastes of food and drink."

Multiple bands will play at several locations throughout the night, and family-friendly games will be hosted by local nonprofit organizations.

The Lititz Rotary Club will have a special table where members will share information about their relief efforts in Ukraine. The Lititz Rotary has paired with a Rotary Club in Poland to provide funding for food, shelter, and medicine for refugees. The Lititz club will offer a special dish, a "Taste of Ukraine," and will accept donations for relief efforts. Lititz Rotary president Igor Kuzmenko is from Ukraine and has welcomed his sister and her daughters to his home since the war began. His niece Anya plans to sing some Ukrainian songs at Taste of Lititz.

Another aspect of the event that is new this year is the Lititz Art Association's plein air art event. On the morning of Taste of Lititz, artists will paint Lititz scenes around town - outside in the open air - and then bring their work back to Church Square for judging. Their work will then be offered for sale.

Branle noted that both local residents and out-of-towners attend the annual tasting. "This event is largely local, but just as Lititz attracts visitors from all over the world, so does Taste," she said. "We invite the folks who've fallen in love with Lititz to come and celebrate our town with us. For that reason, we'll have a mix of folks who walk and those who park on our side streets and lots."

Branle describes the event as family-friendly. "We'll have games set up for kids, food that their bellies will love, and music that appeals to everyone," she said. "What's better than watching three or four generations of family dance together in the street?"

For more information about Taste of Lititz, visit https://lititzpa.com/event/taste-of-lititz-2.