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October is always a busy month, with many different festivals, events and dinners planned to take advantage of good weather before things really start to cool down in November.
Some of those events are first-timers, put together as a way to bring members of a community together and raise money for a church or civic organization. Others have survived for several years and have reached the point where they have become anticipated.
And others have been around for decades -- or more than a century -- and have become important parts of the calendar.
A couple of those are coming up during the next several weeks.
One is the United Way of Jefferson County’s annual Taste of Jefferson County.
On the surface, it seems like a pretty straight-forward evening: Restaurants from across the region set up stations inside the St. Florian Event Center and provide samples of their offerings to hundreds of area residents who pay $35 each to attend. There are also drawings and prizes to be won.
All of the proceeds go to assist the United Way of Jefferson County in continuing its mission of helping member agencies continue their work of helping area residents.
As Marci Crawford, the United Way’s executive director reminds, the event is about more than raising money -- while it is the United Way’s biggest fundraising event of the year, after more than 30 years, it has become a place for members of the community to gather and presents an opportunity to enjoy an evening with family members and friends, and a chance to make some new friends.
This year’s event will be held Wednesday, and around 18 restaurants, caterers and other businesses have signed up to participate. Last year’s event, Crawford said, attracted 320 attendees. They came for the food, a chance to win gifts, an opportunity to mingle, and to help others throughout the community.
The fact it has lasted for three decades shows it always does exactly what is hoped. While its location has changed over the years, starting at the Steubenville Country Club before moving to St. Florian, its mission has not.
If you haven’t gotten your ticket yet, you can still so by contacting any board member; in-person at the United Way office, 511 N. Fourth St., Steubenville, during regular business hours; online at unitedway-jc.org; or by calling the United Way office at (740) 264-9000. The doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Taste of the County is just one example of an event that has stood the test of time and is returning for another edition in October.
Another is the annual Meeting and Awards Dinner of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce.
This year’s event, which will be held Oct. 28, will be the 118th annual for the organization.
The chamber has seen a lot of changes in its time. It may have had various different names and locations, but its mission has always remained -- to support member businesses, to encourage new entrepreneurs and to build a stronger, thriving community.
You can always count on the dinner to deliver with an impressive speaker. This year, it’s Ohio Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel.
It’s a role he’s served in since he was tapped to replace Jon Husted, who left the post to replace J.D. Vance in the U.S. Senate after Vance became vice president.
Tressel likely is better known for several jobs he held in the past: He coached the football teams at Ohio State and Youngstown State to five national championships -- four at Youngstown State -- and served as president of YSU.
While the keynote always is interesting, the dinner also will offer a chance for the chamber to report on its activities during the past year. It also serves as a way to recognize individuals for the work they do in the community.
Tom Timmons will receive the lifetime achievement award. He’s been involved in many organizations that have helped the community, from longtime service as a member of Steubenville City Board of Education, to the United Way and as a trustee with the Pugliese Charitable Foundation.
Ann Quillen, meanwhile, will receive the community impact award. The longtime director of the Ohio Valley Health Center retired from her job earlier this year.
Two other awards -- the young professional of the year and the ambassador of the year -- will be announced during the dinner.
The location of the annual event has changed during the years, with the ballroom at the Fort Steuben Hotel, the old St. John Arena and the St. Florian Event Center, among other places, hosting at various times.
For the past several years, the dinner has been held at the Christ the Teacher Academic Hall and Pope St. Paul VI Conference Center on the campus of the Franciscan University of Steubenville. The dinner will stay there this year too, with a reception planned to begin at 5 p.m. and the dinner and awards program to follow at 6 p.m.
Tickets remain available at jeffersoncountychamber.com/events.
The chamber dinner is another event bringing members of the community together to enjoy an evening together, look at the accomplishments of the past year and to think about what will be coming in the future.
The Taste of the County and the chamber dinner -- one still going strong after three decades and the other going on nearly 12 decades -- have stayed relevant and popular because they offer a chance to show the good things the region has to offer.
(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is senior writer of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times)