ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) — Elmira Downtown Development announced that Taste of Downtown is coming back to Elmira this week.

Taste of Downtown will be held on Thursday, March 30 from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Chemung Valley History Museum. The event will feature food, spirits, music, and silent auctions. The $30 ticket fee will cover your food and drink.

According to EDD Executive Director Kylene Kiah, this event will feature about 20 local vendors and offer “tastes” of their culinary offerings. Taste of Downtown is meant to bring awareness to the culinary diversity available in the Elmira area.

Taste of Downtown raises money for the Elmira Street Painting Festival, which is scheduled for July. The festival features dozens of pieces of chalk art created by local artists.

“It’s important to have this for the Street Painting Festival because we have, for example, our Chalk it Up for Our Youth,” said Kiah. “We like to provide a space for them to be creative and at no cost.” This program offers workshops for kids from grades 3 to 12 and leads up to participation in the Elmira Street Painting Festival.

“It also brings a lot of our businesses into the area to showcase them as well as bringing visitors to the area,” said Kiah.

To purchase tickets for Taste of Downtown and to support the Elmira Street Painting Festival, you can visit the EDD website. Tickets purchased online will appear as a QR code, so be sure to bring your phone to the event for check-in. Tickets can also be purchased at the door.