The Best of Mentone on Display

A major event for our area is taking place next month, one that shines a spotlight on what makes Mentone such a special place.

The annual Taste of the Mountain and Art Auction is set for March 19. This is more than just a fundraising event; it’s a celebration of our community and its culture.

As the name suggests, attendees will enjoy a sampling from the fantastic restaurants and chefs in this area. Mentone is also known for being a community where the arts thrive, and you will understand why when you see the many paintings, photographs, and other pieces of art available through silent and live auctions.

For more than a century, Lookout Mountain has been home to summer camps. This year’s event will once again be hosted at Alpine Camp for Boys, giving visitors a chance to enjoy the beautiful facilities and natural beauty of one of our camps.

One more thing will be on display March 19, something beyond the food, art, and camp experience. The driving force behind this event is our spirit of community. People donate food and art, which are core to the event. Tickets always sell fast, as area residents ensure they get a spot for this special evening. And attendees eagerly participate in the auctions, hoping to take home a unique piece of Mentone.

The event is hosted by MERF, and proceeds from the evening help fund the many great activities this organization sponsors throughout the year. This includes an art teacher at Valley Head School, lunches for our senior citizens, scholarships, and much more.

Just as the Taste of the Mountain and Art Auction provides a sampling of Mentone’s food, art, camp life, and community spirit, it’s also an example of the good work done by our dedicated local organizations. MERF is just one of many groups that make Mentone such a great place to live. We saw this last month at the Groundhog Day Community Celebration.

The Groundhog Day event is a true community effort. The Town of Mentone provided the use of the gym on Moon Lake Campus. The Little River Arts Council coordinated the cake walk and helped MERF’s art instructor with art projects for the kids. The Rhododendron Garden Club managed the Crock-Pot Cookoff. Our local Scout troop provided drinks and snacks. The Moon Lake Library offered free books. And the event is hosted by The Groundhog, the newspaper published by MERF.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Groundhog Day event last month, and thank you to all who will gather on March 19 for the Taste of the Mountain and Art Auction. These are big events that showcase everything unique about our town. And when they are over, the good work of these groups and residents continues throughout the year, building the community we are blessed to call our home.