After hours: Taste Northwest Georgia tickets on sale. Off Broad offers wine tasting. OK sought for ‘public alcohol’ at 2015 block parties

Media release: Tickets are on sale for the first Taste Northwest Georgia, an all-day event featuring food vendors from across the region. Tickets can be purchased at tastenwga.com or at the event on Saturday, March 14, from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. at The Forum in downtown Rome. Taste Northwest Georgia will host more than 40 restaurants, food trucks, caterers, farms and vendors within a 60-mile radius of Rome, featuring samples of their best dishes. “Taste Northwest Georgia is an opportunity to showcase and promote our area’s talented and multifaceted restaurant and food industry,” said event director Erica Simpson. “This will be the perfect event for families, foodies, and supporters of local cuisine.” General admission tickets are $10 each and include admission, six taste coupons and one raffle ticket. VIP tickets are also available for $30 each, which include admission, 15 taste coupons, one alcoholic beverage coupon, a commemorative tote bag and two raffle tickets. Each ticket includes one vote for the People’s Choice Award for Best Food Vendor. Children 13 and younger are free if accompanied by a paid adult. Additional taste coupons and alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase. Taste Northwest Georgia is sponsored by Southeastern Mills, Roman Trading Co., Sysco and Coosa Diagnostic Center. www.tastenwga.com

Wine tasting next at Off Broad: Fresh from Thursday’s ribbon cutting, Off Broad — the new lounge in River Center/Hawthorn Suites, is doing a special tasting on March 12 from 6-8 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person which includes tasting three reds, three whites, appetizers and 10% off your favorite varietals. RSVP to [email protected].

Rome’s Alcohol Control Commission on Monday will review the Downtown Development Authority’s request for “public consumption of alcohol” for three block parties later this year — the inaugural First Friday event set for May 1, a patriotic party on July 3 and the third annual Zombie-thon set for Saturday, Oct. 24, according to city reports. Each event is expected to draw more than 4,000 guests and would allow guests to carry alcohol purchase from downtown restaurants in the 200, 300 and 400 blocks of downtown Rome. The hours would be 6 until 10:30 p.m. except for the Oct. 24, which would start at 5 p.m. The meeting begins at 5 p.m.