CENTRE — After a three-year hiatus, the Spirit of Cherokee is bringing back the Taste of Cherokee. This year's event is Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at the ROC in Centre.

The Spirit of Cherokee is a non-profit organization established to promote activities and patriotic culture in Cherokee County. Money raised from the Taste of Cherokee is used to maintain the Avenue of Flags.

Several times every year, including Flag Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day, the Highway 411 median between Centre and Leesburg is lined with over 370 American flags. The base of each flag contains the name of a deceased veteran from Cherokee County and notes the war he served in.

Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Thereasa Hulgan, who also helps organize Spirit of Cherokee events, said the flags come from the office of Sen. Richard Shelby.

"And every one of them is flown atop the U.S. Capitol before being sent to us," Hulgan said.

Hulgan said she and the other members of Spirit of Cherokee realized last fall the need to bring back the Taste.

"It began in 1981 and we had it every year through 2008," Hulgan said.
"It's important to get the Taste of Cherokee up and going again and make it an annual event because we have maintenance on the Avenue of Flags every year," she said.

Hulgan said the Taste of Cherokee is a terrific event for all the local restaurants and caterers.

A list of participants provided by the Spirit of Cherokee includes: Artic Snow, Beans & Greens, Captain D's, Cherokee Medical Center cafeteria, Coosa Corner, Domino's Pizza, the Gridiron, Joe's Walk Hard BBQ, Lanny's Diner, the Lighthouse, Little Caesar's Pizza, Mountain Parkway Grill, Pat's Perfections, Piggly Wiggly deli, Pizza Hut, Tony's Steak Barn, Sageberry Restaurant, Shell Mart, Speedy's on the Lake, Subway, Two Sisters Cafe, Wal-Mart deli, and the Waffle King.

Tickets are $10 and are avialable at the Chamber of Commerce and other locations in Centre.