It comes but once a year. All the good little girls and boys of the Tonawandas look forward to it. Christmas? Well, maybe. Canal Fest? I guess so. But in this case, I speak of Pizza Fest.

Last week brought the 2008 edition of Pizza Fest to the Knights of Columbus Hall on Erie Avenue. Once again, Pizza Fest was a rousing success. More than 400 tickets were sold out before the day of the event. You often hear about events that supposedly “get bigger every year,” but this event actually does get bigger every year.

And how could it not? Pizza Fest is brilliant in its simplicity. You pay your money and get your ticket. You check in. After that, you’re free. Free to eat pizza, wings and drink to your heart’s content. It’s an all-you-can-eat free-for-all. No one’s checking off tickets or stamping cards. Get what you want, sit down, eat, repeat.

I had precious little time to spend at the event this year, my second trip to the Fest. I left early to cover a North Tonawanda Common Council meeting, which turned out to be canceled. (Thanks for informing the media, guys.) The cancellation sign mocked me as visions of pizza slices I’d never get to eat danced in my head. Luckily, I got four slices down the hatch before I hit the road.

One thing that occurred to me during my brief time at the Fest this year is that the new, larger Knights of Columbus venue was still too small. Reading the Pizza Fest story written by reporter David J. Hill after the event, other residents seem to agree with me. Though I’m not so sure about moving Pizza Fest to the crowded summer, when events abound. It’s a great winter event. Come inside, warm up with some hot pizza and wings.

Joyce Santiago, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce of the Tonawandas, said the chamber “could have sold 200 more tickets” to the event.

So, it’s time to take a step up. The chamber uses Sportsplex for the T-NT Expo. Why not take Pizza Fest to the same venue? If not there, possibly the North Tonawanda Alumni Center and the school gymnasiums? I don’t know, but I do know there are bigger venues out there.

The chamber should also push to get even more pizzerias involved next year. And no offense to the Amherst Pizza and Ale House, which won the best chicken wings award this year, but the event should stay limited to pizzerias in the Twin Cities. There are plenty to go around.

While I’m talking about the chamber, can someone please shorten that name? “The Chamber of Commerce of the Tonawandas.” It’s unruly. How about “Twin Cities Chamber of Commerce?”

For those who still believe an outdoor summer venue would be an automatic boon for Pizza Fest, I’ve got four words for you: Taste of the Tonawandas. That event, run by Gateway Harbor, still has a long way to go. Only a handful of restaurants participated last year. But there’s a lot of potential for “the Taste.”

Keep the Fest in the winter and the Taste in the summer and watch both of them continue to grow. Sounds like a delicious plan to me.

Phil Dzikiy is a staff reporter for the Tonawanda News. His column appears every Thursday. Contact him at 693-1000, ext. 114 or by e-mail at dzikiyp@gnnewspaper.com.