Food Truck Festival Ready to Park in Mt. Kisco on Saturday
If you’re going to be in Mount Kisco on Saturday afternoon, make sure to bring your appetite.
This Saturday is the village’s inaugural Food Truck Festival featuring eight different trucks and a wide variety of food to taste. The festival, which will be located in the area behind Village Hall from 12 to 6 p.m., will also include live music and games for the children. Admission is $5 a person for everyone five years old and up.
Other than the admission, the food and drink is the only charge.
“It’s like a new version of fast food or take-out,” said Joanne Aquilino, Mount Kisco’s superintendent of recreation said of the current popularity of food trucks. “I’ve noticed this popping up more and more at weddings and birthday parties. They’re easy, they bring the whole meal to you and there’s not a whole lot of work you have to do.”
There should be something for everybody as trucks specializing in grilled cheese, crepes, dumplings, pizza, barbecue, burgers and ice cream will be on hand, she said.
The event will be more than just a gastronomical delight for visitors. It will also serve as a fundraiser to help pay for a new playground at Leonard Park, Aquilino said.
While the playground and new equipment will take plenty of funding – perhaps as much as $1 million – the department has been looking for ways to offset the cost. Aquilino said she has also been filling out and submitting grant applications to help fund the project. Work and equipment will likely be done piecemeal.
“As people who look into these things know it’s not inexpensive to come up with a new playground for our community and to make our playground a little more all-inclusive for everyone to be able to use,” she said.
In addition to new equipment, there will also be a new surface and it will be wheelchair accessible.
Bringing a food truck festival was one of Aquilino’s goals since she arrived in the village about three years ago. She has seen the popularity of the trucks rise and thought it would be a good way to promote community interaction.
Mayor Gina Picinich said events such as the Food Truck Festival or last year’s SeptemberFest, which was an enhancement of the decades-old Sidewalk Sales Days, brings energy and excitement to downtown.
Other events this summer will include two concert series, one at Leonard Park and the other in the courtyard between Village Hall and the library on Main Street, and possibly a Jewish cultural festival later in June.
Since the festival will take extend form lunchtime until those who like to eat an early dinner, Aquilino said she hopes those attending will stay awhile and enjoy the festivities. She also hopes it catches on and is an annual event.
“It should be fun for the entire family,” Aquilino said.
In the event of inclement weather, the rain date for the festival is Sunday. Check the village’s website, www.mountkiscony.gov, for updates.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/