In a Sunflower Showdown not unlike the football and basketball match-ups between Kansas and Kansas State, Lawrence and Manhattan will battle it out to see which city boasts the best tap water (yes, tap water) Tuesday evening at the Eldridge Hotel, 701 Massachusetts St.

The program, called “Water as Wine,” will involve a presentation from the City of Lawrence Utilities Department on the process of creating safe drinking water and a blind taste test for audience members led by Eldridge executive chef Drue Kennedy.

Tuesday’s event, slated for 7 p.m. in the hotel’s crystal ballroom, is based on a story and taste test from the winter edition of Lawrence Magazine, which, like the Journal-World, is owned by The World Company. Readers may remember a certain Journal-World reporter (OK, it was me, you guys) participating in that taste test, though why anyone thought my knowledge of water quality to be anything more than murky at best (get it?) still escapes me.

Back then, my fellow panelists and I pretty much unanimously rated Manhattan as the worst tap water out of the six we sampled. It had a distinctly chemical taste, which is odd considering Manhattan draws from the same source as Lawrence: the Kaw River, only farther upstream.

Water as Wine will apparently throw a few different waters into the mix, and with the addition of chef Kennedy, might offer a new perspective on the Manhattan vs. Lawrence tap water showdown.

Also part of the program: Lawrence Public Library’s Gwen GeigerWolfe will speak briefly about the importance of drinking water and the library’s Health Spot focus for January on hydration and fitness. Free, refillable water bottles compliments of the library and Lawrence Memorial Hospital will also be on hand.

As part of Lawrence Magazine and the Lawrence Public Library’s “About Lawrence…” lecture series, “Water as Wine” is free and open to the public, though doors will close after the first 60 guests.