It’s become one of the area’s most anticipated annual festivals, but the Taste of Montgomery County also fulfills a very important role. The TASTE is the largest annual fundraiser for the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, located on the grounds in Crawfordsville where Lew Wallace penned his masterwork, Ben-Hur.
An Historic Treasure
The site of the TASTE was once General Wallace’s backyard, located just north of his home on Wabash Avenue. Many TASTE-goers don’t realize that the General’s bronze statue stands where he set up his rocking chair. Lew Wallace sat under the spread of a giant beech tree to work on his writing in peace and solitude. Wallace wrote a significant portion of Ben-Hur under this tree, known as the Ben-Hur Beech Tree. Hundreds of TASTE-goers congregate in that spot every summer to hear the great live music beneath the shade.
The General’s Study building is one of the gems of Crawfordsville. It has seen visitors from around the globe for more than 100 years. The Study features original paint finishes and houses Lew’s original artifacts and personal memorabilia. Most of these objects have been in the Museum’s collection since Wallace’s death in 1905.
Why We Need a Fundraiser
Revenues from the gate sales at this year’s TASTE will go to fund the Museum’s extensive programming and annual exhibit. This year the museum’s annual exhibit is “The Flower of Gallantry: The Montgomery Guards and the Eleventh Indiana 1856-1861.” The exhibit focuses on how Wallace prepared himself and the militia group he commanded for the impending Civil War. From the founding of the Guards to their first three months in the war, the exhibit shows how Wallace and the Guards left a lasting legacy of discipline, honor, and gallantry long after the war.
Museum programming this year includes the Dr. Howard Miller Lecture Series, the Hoosier Authors Book Club, and ArchiCamp, a summer architecture camp for youth. Your TASTE admission ticket directly helps the museum provide these programs and create new and innovative programming in the future.
Advance Tickets
Tickets for the TASTE cost $8 for adults at the gate ($5 presale) and $3 for students ($2 presale). Children 6 and under are free.
Advance tickets may be purchased at the Carriage House of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum. Other locations selling tickets are:
- Montgomery County Visitors and Convention Bureau – Fusion 54 – 101 W Main Street
- Milligan’s Flowers & Gifts – 115 E Main Street
- Crawfordsville Parks & Recreation Community Center – 922 E South Boulevard
Advance tickets will be available in early August.
