If Eastside wine bars and beer brewers can hold tastings, why not purveyors of soda pop? Next month, Galco Soda Pop Stop in Highland Park will hold its first-ever Summer Soda Tasting. It’s an event to promote new soda flavors as well as raise funds for the Friends of the Southwest Museum Coalition. Coalition organizer Nicole Possert* said Galco owner John Nese had turned away previous requests to hold public tastings but decided to hold the Summer Soda Tasting to help efforts to reopen the nearby Southwest Museum on Mount Washington. Possert offered a few details:

There will be product introductions, new soda flavors, tastings of various flavors from the brands: Hanks, Fentimans, Bundaberg, Waialua Soda Works and Red Ribbon. In addition to soda tastings, the store will be open so people can stock up on any soda, candy, beer, wine. And all the proceeds from all store sales at the event will also be donated to the Friends of the Southwest Museum by Galco’s.

Admission is $12 and advance purchase tickets are now on sale online.

* Possert is an Eastsider contributor.