On Friday, September 6th, over 600 members of our community came together for one of the most highly anticipated events of the year: Warrior Taste Fest. This annual event is significant to Warriors & Quiet Waters (WQW) for many reasons: it reinvigorates our mission within the hearts and minds of our supporters, it showcases some of the most talented food, drink, brew and art creators in our region, and ultimately, it raises 20% of our annual operating budget to make what we do at WQW possible – equipping post 9/11 combat veterans to THRIVE.
A Live Art Show
Warrior Taste Fest offers our guests the unique opportunity to witness renowned artists finishing pieces right before their eyes. This year, we had ten gifted artists working for hours to finish their work prior to it being auctioned off in the live auction. Thanks to their impeccable talent and generosity, WQW raised nearly $80,000 in the live art auction this year!
A Friendly Competition
One of the main attractions at Warrior Taste Fest is the Best Under the Sky competition where our guests get to sample food, beer and cocktails from 32 of the best local vendors in the Gallatin Valley. This year’s proud winners are:
- Best Bite: Sadie’s Catering
- Best Brew: Mountains Walking Brewery & Pub
- Best Drink: Wildrye Distilling
We extend a BIG thank you to all our vendors for the gift of your time and talent. We hope you will join us again next year!
A New Venue + Fresh Faces
For our sixth annual Taste Fest, the WQW team selected a new venue to host the event: The Commons at Love and Baxter in Bozeman. The change of venue brought a new energy and we are beyond thankful for the hardworking team at The Commons for welcoming WQW and helping us make Taste Fest the great success that it was this year.
We also had a new auctioneer and emcee this year: Troy Black with Black and Associates Auctioneers, Inc., and Jim McCray, CEO of Highwood Capital, LLC and a member of the WQW Board of Directors. Together, Troy and Jim led our live auction and paddle race portion of the evening and directly supported the success of our fundraising. Thank you, Troy and Jim!
A Group of Givers
Finally, we need to shout the over 90 volunteers who showed up to make Taste Fest possible. The gift of your time is valued by every member of our team, and we would not be able to do this annual event without you – THANK YOU!
If you missed Taste Fest this year but don’t want to miss it the future, subscribe to our newsletter to stay in-the-know on all of our upcoming events!
Subscribe to Our NewsletterWarrior Taste Fest is produced and hosted by Warriors & Quiet Waters Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that has served our nation’s post-9/11 combat veterans and their loved ones since 2007.
