What to expect at this year's Taste of Bloomington festival

The Taste of Bloomington returned last year after a five-year hiatus and was, by all accounts, a resounding success. But that success led to some changes this year.Around 20,000 people attended last year’s event along the Kirkwood Ave. cooridor, leading to crowd congestion on the street and around vendor areas, and a lot of trash to deal with.So, this year, organizers are expanding the footprint of the festival and tweaking the layout of vendors to provide more space. They’re also moving the kid’s area from People’s Park to inside at the Monroe County History Center.There will also be more vendors this year – 75 compared to 50 last year – and a third music stage added at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.Read more: Taste of Bloomington websiteThe festival will run from 3 to 10 p.m. And, like last year, all food will cost $5 or less.On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll talk with the festival organizer and vendors about what they learned last year, changes coming this year and what food and drink will be available.GuestsBob Costello, Owner, Village Deli and Soma Coffeehouse and Juice BarJordan Davis, Organizer, Taste of Bloomington and General Manager, The Chocolate MooseMike McAfee, Executive Director, Visit BloomingtonRachel Wiehe, Owner, Weirdough Cookie Co.