Attendees wait in line at the Hands Down BBQ LLC food truck, one of many that dotted Main Street during the Food Truck Friday Festival on July 19.
The Mullica Hill Business Association hosted its first annual food truck Friday festival on July 19, when vendors on Main Street fed people from both in and out of the township.
The event, according to association president George Murphy, drew about 1,000 people and continued well past its 8 p.m. end time.
“It went fantastic,” he said, “it was a great night on Main Street. We had a great turnout, fantastic weather and a fine selection of food and alcohol. We extend our sincere appreciation to the food trucks, food and beverage establishments, members of our community and local small businesses for their support.”
According to Murphy, there were 18 vendors at the event, including Kona Ice; Swedesboro Brewing Company; the Bistro Society food truck; Walking Taco; and Anthony the Weenie Genie, among others.
Since the festival was the first of its kind in Mullica Hill, staging it brought a number of challenges, one being to cater to new audiences of food truck loyalists.
“We had people come from both inside and outside of Mullica Hill,” Murphy noted, “including food truck loyalists. We had a whole new crowd of people we haven’t had before. We both want to bring attention and people to Mullica Hill.”
Among those in attendance were Mayor Louis Manzo, Deputy Mayor Lawrence Moore and Committeewoman Michelle Powell. They were at the festival to take in the sights for themselves and to talk to residents. Murphy noted that the township played an important role in organizing and supporting the event.
“They were a big help in trying to make Main Street clean and providing traffic cones for the event,” he pointed out. “They’ve been really helpful in assisting in these kinds of event.”
Other events hosted by the business association include another Sip, Savor and Social in October, the annual township fall festival and the family fun Friday event in September. The organization also expects to host another food truck Friday festival.
“We got good feedback on the festival,” Murphy noted. “We’re planning another event for next year as well.”
