Lifestyle

Another successful 'Taste of SI' raises money for children's clothing

Peking Palace workers serve samples to Taste of SI attendees. The restaurant, which has been featured all 21 years of the Taste, this year featured chicken lo mein and crab rangoon.
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From left, Taste of SI founder Michael Tison of Harrisburg and state Sen. Dale Fowler of Harrisburg said the 21st Taste of SI will help clothe numerous children across southern Illinois.
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Mackie's PIzza of Harrisburg, which has attended every Taste of SI, featured an out-of-the box selection for 2019: crab rangoon pizza.
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Rupert Johnson, left, owner of Johnson's Southern-Style Barbecue, speaks to an attendee of the Taste of SI Sunday. Johnson's Barbecue has been a staple of Taste of SI for the past 20 years.
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Music at Taste of SI was provided by The Penguins. From left are Melinda Tolley, Bruce Boone, Greg Hodson and George Sisk. Not pictured: Jim Smith.
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A server for Purple Toad Winery of Paducah, Kentucky pours a sample. Purple Toad has attended Taste of SI for the past three years. This year, they offered a variety of wines including their Red Sangria, Lauren's Blackberry, and Paducah Harbor.
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Koerner Distributor/Speakeast Liquors was one of the featured vendors at Taste of SI.
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By Hunter Banks
Contributing writer

updated: 4/9/2019 4:30 PM

HARRISBURG -- Once again, a sellout crowd enjoyed samples of the finest fare southern Illinois has to offer as the 21st Taste of Southern Illinois hosted food and drink vendors from across the region Sunday while raising money to clothe the children of southern Illinois.

"It makes my heart warm, so many fine people of Southern Illinois coming together in support of SI kids. It's just a fun event with great food, which makes for a good formula. It really is the food and the restaurants that bring people here," said Michael Tison, founder of the Taste of Southern Illinois.

State Sen. Dale Fowler, R-Harrisburg, chairman of the board of the Fowler Bonan Foundation, said the success of the event means more children in southern Illinois will be provided with new clothes and coats. The foundation's Clothes for SI Kids is the beneficiary of money raised from the event.

"People love coming to this event, and as Michael said for our clothes for kids' program, this is just going to help us clothe more underprivileged children of Southern Illinois; people support that, they support the event, so it's a win-win. We really couldn't do it without the restaurants' support," Fowler said.

The event featured both local favorites, like Peking Palace, Johnson's Southern-Style Barbecue and Mackie's Pizza, in addition to other popular venues from the region like Marion Red Lobster, Koerner Distributor/Speakeasy Liquors, and Purple Toad Winery of Paducah.