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SALEM -- Tickets for this year's edition of the popular Downtown Dining Experience fundraiser are on sale now.
"We are proud to be a supporter of United Way of Northern Columbiana County. What better fundraiser is there than to have ticket holders visit Chamber members, dine on the best cuisine, shop at downtown businesses, and win prizes. We thank all the restaurants/businesses for their willingness to participate and to give of their time for such a great cause. It will be a night of fun," said Salem Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lori Jewell.
The event to be held Sept. 19 from 5-8 p.m., will take guests in groups of 15-20 people on a tour of 11 locations downtown to sample offerings of 15 local restaurants and businesses in 15-minute intervals.
A portion of all proceeds from the event will be donated to United Way --with over $25,000 raised in support of the non-profit since the program's inception in 2017. These funds support the United Way and its agencies' vital programming and services including: 24-hour crisis line; emergency 30-60-day shelter for victims of domestic violence and their children, case management, legal advocacy and court accompaniment, emergency financial assistance, on-site counseling, and providing outreach and information to schools, churches and service clubs.
This year's event will help kick off the United Way's 2024 campaign according to a press release, with funds from the event being distributed to the following United Way of Northern Columbiana County agencies: Action, Information, Direction (A.I.D.) Inc.; Boy Scout of America - Buckeye Council; Camp Fire Tayanoka; Catholic Charities Regional Agency; Columbiana Meals on Wheels; Family & Community Services of Columbiana County Inc.; the Family Recovery Center; Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio; Help Network of Northeast Ohio; Project MKC; Quota Club of Salem Inc; Salem Area Speech and Hearing Clinic; the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (R.S.V.P.); the Salem Area Visiting Nurse Association; the Salem World War Memorial Building, the Salvation Army - Salem Corps, and the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley.
"We very much appreciate the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce sponsoring Downtown Dining to benefit United Way," said United Way Executive Director George W.S. Hays. "This annual event is much anticipated by our supporters as they enjoy an evening of great food from Salem's finest restaurants and fellowship among friends."
Tickets are $45 each and can be purchased at the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, 210 East State St. All ticket holders will be entered for a chance to win an 18-inch, 14 karat rose gold necklace, which features a total of seven diamonds, one-marquise cut, two-princess cut, and four baguette-cut diamonds from Troll's Jewelry on East State Street. Each ticket will have a stub that must be completed and returned to the chamber office by 8 p.m. Sept. 19. According to the release Troll's will be open for extended hours during Downtown Dining for ticket holders to shop.
"United Way is truly grateful to Troll's Jewelry for donating a piece of diamond jewelry each year to Downtown Dining. Seeing the joy on the winner's face is a highlight of the event. This year's necklace is stunning, and we thank Troll's for their participation," said Hays.
This year's menu hasn't been finalized yet but the participants include: Affordable Catering, Back Home Market, Bake Me Treats, BB Rooners, Coaches Burger Bar, Ezio's Italian Restaurant, Heggy's Confectionery; Jalisco's; Kast Iron Soda Works, LiB's Market, Oasis Indoor Golf & Sports Bar, Raymond's Ice Cream, Ricky's English Pub, Romeo's Pizza and Troll's Jewelry.
Troll's Jewelry, and Kast Iron Soda Works will both be double stops as they are hosting Affordable Catering and Back home Market, respectively. Bake Me Treats will be holding its section of the tour in Courtyard Sqaure, while Oasis Indoor Golf & Sports Bar will be hosted by Keller Williams Chervenic Realty.
The event will feature a shotgun start with participants placed into groups of up to 20, with their start point, and route designated on the back of their tickets, with groups moving through the tour's locations in 15-minute intervals. Participants will receive a program with the event menu, and a QR code, which participants are encouraged to scan and vote for their favorite restaurant in six categories and to leave any feedback they have for the event. The categories for voting include: best presentation, best savory, best sweet, favorite food, favorite stop, and most unusual.
New this year patrons will be allowed to legally walk around in the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, (DORA) boundary area with an alcoholic beverage that has been served by participating DORA permit holders,. The event received special approval during city council's Aug. 19 meeting for the program to be in effect outside of normal hours. However, these beverages must be served, and kept in special designated cups identified with a "SALEM DORA" label. First approved by council in 2019, DORA allows residents to buy alcohol from a participating bar or restaurant in a designated cup and freely walk around outside in the set DORA area, which covers most of downtown.
Also new this year --rather than having raffle baskets at each stop --gift cards of $50 or more will be raffled. The release notes that these gift cards will be to restaurants and businesses participating in the event, and other chamber member businesses, and will be "donated by the agencies of United Way Services of Northern Columbiana County."