Booth and vendor spots remain open, one guest speaker spot also available

By Robert Williams

Editor

Harvest Church’s always popular “Taste of the Wild” game feed is moving to Frazee-Vergas High School for its 2025 event on Saturday, March 29.

This year’s event will be held in two gymnasiums to separate the activities with the meal and teaching sessions in the Red gym, and the vendors, kids games with prizes and silent auction in the green gym. Last year’s “Taste of the Wild” filled the Event Center and officials made the move to the high school to create a bit more space.

“I think it just presents a little bit of separation from all the loud things happening in one place,” Harvest Pastor Ryan Stockstrom said.

Doors open at 3 p.m., with speakers scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. and ongoing throughout the day. Tasting begins at 4 p.m. The Silent Auction closes at 5:30 p.m.

This year’s grand prize is an e-bike and all attendees with a ticket get an entry in the grand prize drawing. Those who bring a dish get extra tickets for a chance to win the e-bike.

Heavy duty e-bikes have been gaining popularity as a way to get deeper into hunting trails without making much noise.

The dishes are also up for prizes in wild game and non-wild game categories: Big Game, Small Game, Fish, Jerky, Kids, Non-Game and Desserts.

Only homemade samples are eligible for prizes and all samples must be prepared in advance. Cooks are asked to RSVP to reserve an outlet for crockpots and other electric cooking devices. Call (218) 334-3101 to reserve a spot.

All prize winners must be present to win and the grand prize winner must be aged 18 or older.

There are currently eight vendors registered, but booths and vendor spots remain open. 

“We have room for more vendors if people are interested,” said Stockstrom.

There is also one remaining guest speaker spot open.

“If someone has an outdoor hobby or talent they’d like to share with the people there it’s an opportunity,” said Stockstrom. “The goal of our speakers is to give people technical skills for outdoor opportunities, adventures, hunting and fishing and our main speaker, the goal is that they would share their life experience in the outdoors and how much they enjoy it. Then, as a part of it at the end is part of what makes this all great is we have a God who made all this. It kind of gives people a taste of a relationship with God.”

This year’s keynote speaker is Larry Dorman, an outdoorsman, family man and pastor. Dorman will take the stage at 5:30 p.m., preceded by Chill Guide Service’s Cody Hill at 4 p.m. and Minnesota Hunting Stands’ Tony Reller at 4:30 p.m.

Admission is free, according to Stockstrom, that goes with the values of the event: Free Admission, Fun, Family and Faith.

The 2025 event will be the 11th “Taste of the Wild” game feed. The event has been held since 2014, with a hiatus during the pandemic.