What is the 2020 version of Rotary’s Taste of White Bear Lake?

August Update

For the past 8 years, Taste of White Bear Lake has been an annual event on the second Saturday in September, held at Pine Tree Apple Orchard with the goal of celebrating the people and businesses of our community, and raising funds which Rotary invests in local and international service projects.

Since the beginning of July, Taste of White Bear Lake 2020 has celebrated our restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops and other vendors.

Those of you with a Passport are enjoying access to a summer of nearly 30 free signature items, coupons, and special promotions encouraging all of us to return after long weeks at home, to shop, enjoy and celebrate our local businesses. All are valid through at least Labor Day.

If you do not yet have a Passport, please order yours from our website at: tasteofwhitebearlake.com

While we hoped that we could also host a scaled-down in-person event on September 12 at Pine Tree Apple Orchard, we have concluded that under current COVID -19 health guidelines we cannot do so.

So what are you to do? The Passport coupon for Pine Tree Apple Orchard is good though November 1, 2020. We encourage you to visit the Orchard this fall with family and friends to enjoy a wonderful outing in compliance with this year's more restrictive guidelines.

Thank you for your generous support for the work of Rotary and for your outpouring of support for our community businesses.

On behalf of White Bear Lake Rotary,

Michael Lovett, Taste of White Bear Lake 2020 Chair

FAQs for Vendors and Sponsors

How do food vendors learn about Taste 2020 and how they can participate?

During May and June, members of the Rotary Club are personally contacting and working with local businesses to encourage them to participate and identify an item or promotion to draw our community back into local businesses. Rotary has sent information and a survey to all past vendors participating in Taste during recent years, and through the White Bear Chamber of Commerce, has sent an invitation and survey to all members of the Chamber.

What benefits will there be to participating vendors?

The spring of 2020 has presented unprecedented challenges for many community restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, and other businesses. Taste of White Bear Lake 2020 is designed to drive traffic into our community businesses, encouraging Passport holders to sample our vendors’ specialities and promotions this summer, and while there, to generously support participating businesses. This is a community wide promotion to get our community to the curb, takeout, and to the extent permitted and available, to enjoy indoor or outdoor seating.

What are the benefits to a sponsor?

Sponsors, more than ever before, will be directly supporting the service and charitable work of the White Bear Rotary Club, and also generating tremendous goodwill in our community by supporting our community food and beverage vendors, many of which have suffered significantly as a result of the pandemic. You are investing in optimism and hope.

How will sponsors be recognized?

Sponsors will be given widespread recognition, including features in the White Bear Press; on social media; print promotion in each Passport; posters in the community, and featured prominently in local businesses, including some participating restaurants and other vendors.

Sponsors will receive the personal and collective appreciation of Rotary’s 100 member club and the 600 or more Passport holders; media coverage will include at a minimum: featured in at least three White Bear Press promotional articles this summer and one full page “thank you” planned for mid-September; a minimum of two postings on Facebook pages for Rotary and Taste of White Bear Lake 2020 along with company logo; postings on Twitter and Instagram; as well as recognition in media releases planned to reach beyond the borders of our communities.

Along with sponsorship, also come complimentary passports as follows: Premier $2500 – 8 passports; $1000 – 6 passports; $500 – 4 passports.

Sponsors will receive an invoice from Rotary for the amount of their commitment, along with a confirmation that Rotary has the logo as the sponsor wishes it to appear in the promotional materials. As soon as funds are received by Rotary, sponsors will be mailed the number of passports corresponding to the levels shown above.