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Helena City Council member Alice Lobell and Bobby Cross. (Reporter photo/Keith McCoy)

Wine from Trader Joes was served all night. (Reporter photo/Keith McCoy)

Door prizes where a huge hit and were given out throughout the night. (Reporter photo/Keith McCoy))

City Councilman Maurice Mercer with his daughter Emma. (Reporter photo/Keith McCoy)

City Councilman Maurice Mercer and friend John Turner.

Population estimates for 2016 were recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Pelham's estimated population grew from 21,352 in 2010 to 23,050 in 2016. (File)

Tom Enright and Mosley Johnson.

PHS Culinary Academy Instructor Doug Allen with students Tony Palma, Kaylea Tucker and Jackson Moore. (Reporter photo/Keith McCoy)

Pelham Mayor Gary Waters and his wife Lynn, with friends Sarah Walker and Councilman Ron Scott. (Reporter photo/Keith McCoy)

David Rodriguez enjoyed the food and had a huge smile on his face all night. (Reporter photo/Keith McCoy)

Joni and Rick Hayes.

Pelham High School Culinary Academy students were present at this event and brought some bread options with them. (Reporter photo/Briana Harris)

Cozumel Grill had plates of nachos with chicken and beef covered in queso at the 2017 Taste of Pelham. (File)

Lazy Boy BBQ served up pork sliders. (Reporter photo/Keith McCoy)

Shrimp and grits from ChubbFathers was a big hit at this year's event. (Reporter photo/Keith McCoy)

Emily McClung brought three samples of her Heirloom Pound Cakes. (Reporter photo/Keith McCoy)

With cupcake bites, potatoe salad and a vegan chili Carmelascooking.com was just one of the non-brick and mortar businesses at this year's event. (Reporter photo/Keith McCoy)

The Pelham High School culinary students were present at this year's event and brought some bread options with them. (Reporter photo/Keith McCoy)

Ghost Train and Cahaba Brewing served up a variety of their best brews. (Reporter photo/Keith McCoy)

PELHAM – The Pelham Library Guild’s Taste of Pelham event went off without a hitch on Tuesday, March 7, despite heavy rain.

“I was afraid the rain might dampen the event, but people love this event so they came out anyway,” Library Guild President Debbie Parrott said. “You can see on people’s faces that they’re having fun.”

The banquet hall in the Pelham Civic Complex was full of smiling faces and laughter as guests made their way from station to station, sampling food. Parrott said between 200-250 people bought tickets for the event in advance. Tickets were also being sold at the door.

Parrott said the event usually raises about $6,000 once all expenses are paid. The event serves as a fundraiser for the library guild. The money raised will go toward offsetting construction costs for the city’s new library.

The guild has set a goal to raise a total of $300,000. More fundraisers are in the works to help raise the money.

Guests Marla Vaughn, of Pelham, and Jenny Cooper, of Calera, said they enjoyed everything about the event.

“It’s really well done,” Vaughn said, who has attended the event three years in a row. “They’ve made improvements every year. I can really tell that they try to make it better year after year.”

Cooper said the event gives her a chance to see what other restaurants are located in the area.

“Sometimes I get stuck in a rut, going to the same restaurants over and over,” she said. “This gives me a chance to see what new restaurants have opened and it reminds of restaurants that I forgot about.”

Vaughn and Cooper said some of their favorites were Cozumel Grill and Mexican Restaurant, the beef kabobs at from Texas Roadhouse and the dessert from Joe’s Italian.

“The Pelham High School culinary kids did a great job also,” Vaughn added.

Parrott said the atmosphere of the event encourages restaurants and caterers to come back each year. Sometimes, Parrott said businesses even seek her out to be a part of Taste of Pelham.

Vaughn and Cooper said supporting the Pelham Public Library is an added bonus.

“I like to check out e-books for my Kindle,” Cooper said. “It’s fabulous because I don’t have to pay for books anymore.”

Parrott said the event also serves as a purpose to educate to public about the library.

“A lot of people ask questions about the new library, and I feel like the more conversations we have about the library the better,” she said. “It’s just nice to see all of these people together and having a good time. It’s just a good community event.”

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