Tickets now on sale for Midlothian Food Festival
By Joan Tupponce CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The menu at the Magnificent Midlothian Food Festival will include beef tenderloin, chicken, barbeque pork, salmon and more. The annual event will also feature live entertainment.

Mark your calendars for an evening of fantastic food and great entertainment as Gregg Waldhauser and his fellow Rotarians gear up for the 18th Annual Magnificent Midlothian Food Festival on Oct. 4.

"We do all of the work involved in putting it together," Waldhauser said. "My club, Brandermill Rotary, is just one of five Rotary clubs that put on the event. The other clubs are Midlothian, Bon Air, Huguenot Trail and Chester."

The event's roots date back to a seafood festival that four Rotarians attended in Gloucester.

"On the way back from the festival," Waldhauser said, "they thought, 'Why can't we do this in Midlothian?'"

The first event was held at Moorefield Office Park. The festival's location moved to The Boulders office park in 1999.

"We were too spread out at Moorefield," recalled Waldhauser. "The Boulders offers us one central location with more parking. It also has easy access."

Providing good food is one of the festival's goals. Food offerings include everything from beef tenderloins and chicken to barbeque pork and salmon, from vegetables to cheesecake. Delbert O'Meara of Creative Events of Virginia prepares all of the food.

"Delbert has done that every year since we've had the event," Waldhauser said. "He does all of the cooking onsite."

Along with lots of food, the festival will feature live entertainment.

"This is a nice evening for people to get something to eat, visit with other people, listen to great music and support a good cause," Waldhauser said. "Giving to charities is what it's all about."

Almost 4,000 people attended the event last year, raising more than $100,000 for local charities.

"We've raised well over $1 million since the festival's inception," Waldhauser said. "The event draws strong support from local businesses. Major corporate sponsors include CJW Medical Center and LandAmerica.

Charities that have benefited from the festival include the Boys and Girls Club, Girl Scouts of America, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Manchester Rescue Squad, Manchester YMCA, Midlothian YMCA, Communities in Schools and Stop Child Abuse Now.

"Each Rotary club realizes profits out of the event based on what they do for the event," Waldhauser explained. "Each club's charity committee deals out the distribution. The Brandermill Rotary, for example, has over 60 charities."

The event successfully publicizes the work of the Rotary in the community, Waldhauser adds. "It is designed to attract people who would make good Rotary members."

The work is hands-on for Rotarians and volunteers, which include high school students and teens who are members of Interact Clubs.

"The event promotes unity between the clubs," Waldhauser said. "We believe that more money for charity is raised in this joint effort than could be raised individually by the participating clubs."