Rustic elegance may help describe the popular Taste of NA, a fundraiser of the North Allegheny Foundation returning May 21 to Soergel Orchards in Franklin Park.
The annual event will feature tractor rides, farm-to-table bites, drink samplings, and artistic and musical performances by North Allegheny students, according to William Mascari, secretary for the nonprofit foundation.
“It is truly a ‘taste’ of NA,” Mascari said. “While the NA Foundation works to fundraise and create connections with the community throughout the year, this event is the final large fundraiser of the school year.”
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. at Soergel Orchards, 2573 Brandt School Road.
Tractor rides will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $100 each and can be purchased online at northallegheny.org/tasteofna.
Proceeds from the event will support the North Allegheny Foundation’s mission to enrich the educational experience of the district’s students.
“This event, unlike the other fundraisers, incorporates many facets of the district’s staff, students and community members. Not only does it help to raise funds to support our district’s staff and students, but it highlights their many talents and accomplishments through arts and music. It also brings our community together for a fun evening in the beautiful Soergel Orchards,” Mascari said.
Student talent this year, as of April 9, includes student and staff art work from Franklin Elementary School, as well as Carson, Ingomar and Marshall middle schools. Musical performances will be provided by the Ingomar Middle School Jazz Band, Strolling Strings, NA Fiddlers, NASH Choir Ensemble and the Ingomar Elementary Choral Ensemble. Members of the Tiger Den, National Honor Society and the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Honor Guard also will be in attendance.
The tractor rides to and from the orchard will offer an opportunity to “view a beautiful sunset,” and Mascari encourages guests to arrive early because the rides fill up quickly.
Comfortable apparel is recommended, suitable for a tractor ride, time in the orchard and the finale in McIntosh Hall, Mascari said.
Eric Voll, a sixth-generation Soergel family member, said this will be the fifth time the family farm has hosted a Taste of NA.
“It is a very unique, fun and memorable evening. In addition to the delicious food and beverages being served in various locations on our farm and the tractor rides in between, the entertainment by and participation of the North Allegheny students makes the evening even more special,” said Voll, a former trustee of the North Allegheny Foundation.
Voll, a Butler Area High School graduate, lives in McCandless with his wife, Megan, a 1999 North Allegheny graduate. They have two children in the district: Ethan, a sophomore at the intermediate high school, and Abbey, an eighth grader at Carson Middle School.
Platinum, gold and silver sponsorships are still available for the event, Mascari said.
“We welcome business partnerships for this event and the other foundation events throughout the year,” Mascari said.
For details on becoming a sponsor, visit northallegheny.org/tasteofna or email nafoundation@northallegheny.org.
This is one of four major fundraisers held by the North Allegheny Foundation each year, with the others being a golf classic in September, a Trick or Trot race in October and the Distinguished Alumni Gala in January.
The North Allegheny Foundation, founded in 1989, is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization governed by a 23-member board of trustees.
Since 1989, the foundation has distributed more than $750,000 in grants to North Allegheny schools and thousands more in scholarships to outstanding graduating seniors, according to a page description on the district’s website.