Founder looks back on 30 years of Taste

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - It was 1982 when Lafayette local Steve Klink had the idea for a summer festival highlighting some of the restaurants in the area. Organizers blocked off Columbia Street in front of the courthouse, invited 12 restaurants to set up booths, and the Taste of Tippecanoe was born.

"It's pretty amazing how much it's grown," Klink said.

Grown might be an understatement. From the original 12 restaurants set up on a block of downtown Lafayette, to a two-city, 16-block summer festival featuring 40 restaurants and multiple stages of music, the Taste of Tippecanoe has become a West Central Indiana summer staple.

"There's always a moment during the event where you stand back and you look and see all these people. And you think, 'Wow. They like it.' And that's always neat to see," Klink said.

Klink was originally asked to help organize the 6th Street Art Fair in 1981. But that idea didn't really interest him.

"I wanted to do Taste of Lafayette," he said. "My wife changed the name to Taste of Tippecanoe, being the wordsmith that she is. Sully said, 'You go with that. Call me with anything that you need,' and there it was."

The music may have changed a little over the years, and the restaurant lineup has evolved with the changing tastes of Tippecanoe. But Klink said the atmosphere he envisioned 30 years ago is little changed.

"You run into all the people you haven't seen recently. You see your neighbors, friends that you've lost touch with, and it just becomes a real party that everybody enjoys and has a good time. We clean up all night, and back to normal the next day," he said.

NewsChannel 18 will be bringing you more stories looking ahead to the Taste throughout the week. You can catch our Taste of Tippecanoe newscast, live from downtown Lafayette on Saturday from 6 to 7 p.m. on WLFI.