The Taste of Annandale brings the community together for food and fun

Thousands of people came out on Saturday for the Taste of Annandale – to eat, enjoy diverse performances, learn about local businesses and organizations, meet candidates, and celebrate the community.

Dozens of food vendors offered everything from seafood to Thai food to soul food; from pizza to grilled chicken, to frozen treats, and much more. The Caboose tent drew long lines for beer all day.

Performances ranged from a Vietnamese Lion Dance to American swing dance, a rock band to a Korean drum group, martial arts demonstrations to traditional dance from Bolivia.

The pet contest, hosted by Chico’s Natural Pet Market drew some adorable and talented dogs, making it challenging for the judges to pick the winners. All the contestants got prizes, so everyone won in the end.

More than 100 people took part in the 5K Race, with pre-race warmups hosted by RAMP Optimal Performance & Wellness.

Families brought the little ones to the children’s program, hosted by the ACCA Child Development Center, for interactive musical shows and crafts.

The Mason Police District again won the chili cookoff – beating the Annandale Volunteer Fire Department – with their recipe getting the most votes from the crowd.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay presented a resolution to the organizers of the festival in recognition of “the important contributions of the Taste of Annandale in celebrating our diverse cultures and traditions in the Mason District.”

“This event is about bringing the community together. This is about celebrating our diversity in Fairfax County, about recognizing all the fantastic cultures that are gathered here in one place today,” McKay said. “Opportunities like this to come together and learn from each other, and to appreciate each other and celebrate Annandale are what makes Fairfax County such an amazing place to live and raise a family.”

Steve Lee of the Annandale/Mason Roundtable presented a plaque to Mason Supervisor Penny Gross “in recognition of her many years of dedicated service to the community and the residents of Mason District and the Taste of Annandale.”

“When you start an event like the Taste of Annandale you wonder if it’s going to last more than a year because it’s such a lot of work,” Gross told the crowd. “The first one [in 2015] was enormously successful, and that’s when the community knew we could do Taste of Annandale events every year.”

“The pandemic interfered but it did not do anything to dampen the enthusiasm for the event. So today is a beautiful day in Annandale and in Mason District,” Gross said.

Annandale Rotary Club President Joe Do presented a plaque to Louise Kahane on behalf of the Annandale/Mason Roundtable in memory of her late husband, Bob . Bob Kahane was president of the Rotary chaired the roundable, and was a key force in planning the Taste of Annandale since 2015.

State Sen. Dave Marsden and Del. Vivian Watts, both of whom represent Annandale in the General Assembly, also greeted the crowd.

The Annandale/Mason Roundtable especially thanks Title Sponsor Lambros Goldsmith for his commitment to the Taste of Annandale.

The roundtable appreciates our Gold Sponsors: The ACCA Child Development Center; the Annandale and Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Clubs; Ed Nuttall, candidate for Commonwealth’s Attorney; the Korean American Association of Greater Washington, Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross, and State Farm Agent Anh Nguyen.

Our Silver Sponsors include: Annandale Today, Anthem – Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare, Chico’s Natural Pet Market, Coldwell Banker Realtor Vivianne Couts, Elevance Health, Landmark HHH LLC, Metropolitan Orthodontics, Prince William Home Improvement, and RAMP Optimal Performance & Wellness.

The roundtable also thanks the Mason Police District for ensuring a safe event, the many volunteers who kept things running smoothly, the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services, Celebrate Fairfax, DJ Antonio, and HIZ Creative Design.

Finally, the Taste of Annandale could not have happened without the many hours put in by the Taste of Annandale Planning Committee, including Steve Lee, Joe Do, Anna Ko, Robert O’Quinn, Isabel Ballivian, Clark Lee, Paul Volden, Hadyn Kihm, Trinity Yansick, and Ellie Ashford.