Event Showcases County’s Newest Attraction, Offers Culinary Delights & Entertainment
 
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD – Thirty restaurants will serve up their tastiest dishes at the inaugural “Taste of Maryland,” to be held at the National Harbor, Prince George’s County’s newest waterfront attraction, from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21.
 
Participating restaurants include the Gaylord National Hotel’s Old Hickory Steakhouse, the Westin’s Sauciety, soul-food favorite Carolina Kitchen, Cloby’s BBQ, Irie Café, which offers Caribbean delights, Indian restaurant Rangoli, and Rosa Mexicano.
 
The National Harbor is a 300-acre development on the banks of the Potomac that boasts the largest non-gaming combined hotel and convention center on the East Coast.
 
“National Harbor has changed the face of Prince George’s County,” said Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown, a Prince George ’s County resident. “I can think of no better place to host the inaugural Taste of Maryland festival. I look forward to welcoming people from across Prince George’s County, Maryland and the entire region for a weekend of great food and family entertainment.”
 
The Taste of Maryland will spotlight locally and nationally known jazz, pop, and rock artists, dance troops, martial arts demonstrations, a magician, and a back-to-school fashion show on the main entertainment stage. In addition, several radio stations will broadcast live.
 
“Taste of Maryland staff is comprised of Prince George’s County residents who have combined talent and energies to create our inaugural weekend of events,” says founder Darnell Dinkins of Dinkins Communications. Our theme for this year is ‘Family, Food and Fun.’ Hopefully with the support of the local community, we will have this event for many years to come”.
 
Tickets provide access to all the entertainment, demonstrations, and health screenings and are $20 for adults and $10 for children 10 and under and senior citizens. (Children 3 and under are admitted free.) “Taste coupons,” available in books of 20, 36, or 50, allow patrons to purchase menu items – costing from one to four tickets – from the restaurants. Tickets and taste coupons are available at the Harbor during the event or online at www.tasteofmaryland.org/tickets.
 
“Prince George’s County is the perfect location and National Harbor is the ideal venue for the inaugural Taste of Maryland,” said Prince George’s County Council Chairman and Honorary Host Committee Member Samuel H. Dean. “This event will certainly highlight some of the best our county has to offer. It will also serve as an opportunity for everyone to experience what many already know: Prince George’s County is a wonderful place to live, work, play and do business.”  
 
Vendors will sell jewelry, clothing and more, while the area’s top chefs will perform cooking demonstrations. The Kids’ Zone Pavilion, sponsored by the YMCA, will feature the YMCA Fun Van, carnival games, face painting, storytelling, and a moon bounce. Good health will also be the focus of the two-day festival. At the Health and Fitness Pavilion, sponsored by the county’s Health Department, the Maryland National Capital Park & Planning Commission, and Sport Fit Total Fitness Club, patrons can get free health screenings and watch fitness trainers demonstrate effective workout routines.
 
“As a lifelong resident of Fort Washington and a legislator whose district includes the National Harbor , I am delighted that we have the privilege of hosting the inaugural Taste of Maryland,” said Maryland State Del. Kriselda Valderrama (D-26).  “This will be a top-notch experience – a great chance for people to come together and celebrate the last days of summer in a beautiful setting.”
 
Event sponsors include the Radio One Network, Majic 102.3 WMMJ-FM, 93.9 WKYS-FM, Praise 104.1-FM Radio, Spirit 1340 WYCB-AM, Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, the Westin Hotels & Resorts, the Social Security Administration, e-Mortgage Solutions, and DCI Media.
 
“Considering the positive impact that similar restaurant festivals have had in cities across the country, including Baltimore and Chicago, I am absolutely thrilled to play a role in bringing the 2008 Taste of Maryland to Prince George’s County,” said Dana B. Stebbins, Chair of the Taste of Maryland Advisory Committee, President of The Cornelius Group in Washington, D.C., and a longtime Prince George’s County resident.