How The Taste Of Country Became A Local Tradition In 25 Years

We are celebrating our 25th year of the Taste of Country. There have been a ton of artists who have played that stage. But what do you remember about the very first one?

It wasn't the very first one, it was just the first one at the ball park

There will be people who will remind you that the very first Taste of Country was not at the ball park. The first one happened at Chestnut Ridge park. I wasn't there for that one. If you were, I would love to hear whatever you remember. Feel free to write to me at brettalan@wyrk.com or send your memories through the appchat feature on our WYRK app.

Here are my first memories of the Taste of Country

The first Taste of Country concert that I went to at the ball park was in June of 2001. I had just started at WYRK as an intern. I wasn't even on the payroll yet and I was pumped to be included in this show. I didn't get to watch most of it because I was under the stands back by the locker rooms. But I did get a chance to poke my head out behind home plate every now and then.

It started out with the Colgate Country Showdown. It was a local talent show where bands had the opportunity to play in front of our TOC crowd.

Then, Tammy Cochran took the stage. Her big song at the time was "Angels in Waiting," and it was a tear-jerker. Clay Davidson was next. His big one was "Unconditional."

The big 3 from that year though were Travis Tritt, Neal McCoy, and Joe Diffie. Talk about a group of legends!

The weather was awful

I've always said that sometimes the best concerts happen in the worst weather. As long as it's safe for people to be outside watching, the rain can make it a perfect environment for having fun. One of the memories that is burned in my mind from that show was watching Travis Tritt sing "It's A Great Day To Be Alive" while the rain came down in buckets and people sang right along in the stands.

We didn't have field seats yet, so everyone was in the stands for that show. Somehow Neal McCoy was able to steal a rain jacket from a security guard and he took his cordless mic out into the crowd. When he started singing and he wasn't on the stage, everyone started looking around trying to figure out where he was, when he was right next to some people. It was awesome.

Tickets are on sale for this year's Towne Auto Taste Of Country

A lot has changed over 25 years, but what hasn't is that we are still doing this show, year after year, for you. Every year, we look forward to a chance to get together with you and enjoy some great music. If you'd like to join us this year and make some new memories with us, get your tickets now.