This year, the Advocates to End Domestic Violence will have a tasty bundle of joy for the Taste of Downtown event at the end of July.
In addition to preparing for the Advocates to End Domestic Violence’s Taste of Downtown event, organizer Traci Trenoweth is preparing for motherhood. She is expecting to give birth to a baby boy two weeks before the big event.
“It has definitely been making sure everything is as close to wrapped up as possible before I leave,” Trenoweth said.
Trenoweth has been helping organize the Taste for the past 14 years. Advocates Director Lisa Lee calls her the integral part of this event.
“I have so (many tasks) I know how to do in a blink of an eye, but now I have to convey all those things to my co-workers and that is sometimes difficult because they are tasks I don’t really need to think about, but I have to make sure someone else knows it needs to be done,” Trenoweth said.
“My big event binder has been pretty hard for me to give up,” she added with a laugh. “But I have no question it will go off without problems.”
Trenoweth said the Taste has become like her first baby during the years, watching and helping it evolve for more than a decade.
“It is very weird and hard to let go of this (event) because this is like a baby for us,” Trenoweth said. “To let go and not be out there helping organize and get the event together is a challenge, but it’s OK.”
It is easier to let go though, knowing Trenoweth has a solid team behind her.
“There are only a few people who put the event on and for us to be able to do that and take crisis calls and our everyday necessities is just amazing, they do an amazing job,” Trenoweth said. “It is a fun event to put on.”
But, even a new baby won’t stop her from still being at the event.
“I will be out there helping still the day of the event and I will bring the baby out during the day to come out and see it,” Trenoweth said.
Lee joked that the baby should be named something related to the event since the birth would be so close to the Taste, but Trenoweth and her husband decided to name the baby Julius instead.
“The unknown is exciting,” Trenoweth said. “Just getting to enjoy him will be very exciting and of course bringing him out to the Taste.”