If you find that Saturday has rolled around and left you without plans, come to the Taste of Kennesaw.  As one on Cobb County Georgia’s quiaint, historic towns, Kennesaw is providing food, entertainment, and a chance to support local charities.

The Kennesaw Business Association and the city of Kennesaw will co-host their second annual Taste of Kennesaw festival Saturday. The festival will feature food samples from more than 35 local restaurants, ranging from $0.50 to $4.00 per plate.

“It’s a little money for a lot of food,” said Bill Watson, who is secretary on the Kennesaw Business Association Board of Directors. “Last year, there were almost full plates of food for $2 or $3. Some of these restaurants just want you to get a taste of their food, and it’s really great food so you can afford to taste a little bit of everything. There will also be live music all day, kids’ activities, charity fundraisers and a 5K. There’s something for everyone,” Watson said.

The event will take place in downtown Kennesaw at Main Street and the Depot parking lot.

This year, the Great Locomotive Chase 5K Race and 1K Fun Run will precede the Taste of Kennesaw event. This will be the first year for the race, which will start at 8 a.m. at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History on Cherokee Street in downtown Kennesaw. Watson said the runners will take a path that starts downtown, go toward Moon Station and will end up in front of the museum. The entry fee is $20 per person, or $25 on the day of the race, and every registered runner will receive a T-shirt, along with free food and drink. All proceeds from the race will go to support the educational and outreach programs of the Southern Museum.

Local musician Scott Thompson will be playing acoustic covers from the beginning of the festival at 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. An awards ceremony for the food vendors will occur at 4 p.m. The Rockerz, a local classic rock and roll band, will take the stage at 8 p.m. as the last performers in the Kennesaw Summer Concert Series.

A wide variety of children’s attractions will be set up throughout the day, including a rock wall, inflatable slides, bounces and a trackless train.

Watson said that they are expecting around 20,000 people to attend the event, a few more than last year’s approximate 18,000 attendees. Donations and proceeds (other than those from the food vendors) will go to four local charities, including MUST Ministries, Jerry Worthan Community Christmas Fun, Shop with a Mustang and Shop with a Warrior.

Don’t miss out on the fun and the opportunity to support worthy causes!