HUMBOLDT — There will be a chance to come downtown and munch on fair food before the year is over.
Food Truck Wars, coming to Humboldt on Sept. 25 and 26, will see food vendors set up shop in the city’s downtown core.
“Food trucks are very hot right now, they’re a trending business,” said Dale Belair, co-owner of foodtruckwars.ca, back in July when he was preparing to visit Tisdale, Melfort and Carrot River.
“I’ve been in the carnival business all my life, we sell and import trade show novelties and things. People are looking for their fair food fix, people want to go out and they want to go to a food truck.”
Brent Fitzpatrick, the Downtown Business Improvement District’s executive director, said he’s been working with Belair and the city to make the event possible.
“I think the bottom line for me is I’m just really excited that we're able to do something that's outside and drives people into the downtown. I think that's just outstanding,” he said, adding one of the events that does just that, Streetfest, had to be cancelled due to uncertainty from the pandemic.
The executive director said that members of the district will be able to join in the event at no charge, but they would have to let Belair know so he could lay out the event according to health guidelines.
Belair said while there is a big food truck festival in B.C., there is no such event for rural Saskatchewan.
“Why not smaller areas in Saskatchewan, because people may not be able to a larger centre, and we can find venues that we can work with,” he said.
“You’re going to get your fair food fix, that’s what it is. There’s going to be all the favourite fair foods and sort of things. We’re not going to be replacing the full fair experience, but you know what? There’s going to be some other trade show vendors there and different types of food they wouldn’t get this summer because there’s no exhibitions or fairs anywhere.”
Belair said the initiative has been approved through the provincial government’s business response team, and is categorized as a farmers’ market.
Social distancing will be required. There will be restricted access for the food area, to ensure proper limits to the number of folks attending and to ensure proper spacing. Hand wash stations, proper spacing guidelines, along with other safety measures will all be in place There will be no dining at this event, it will be simply pick-up/take-out only.
“People will be coming in through an area, they will be directed past the trucks and past the vendors, and they can shop and choose what they like.”
The event will take place on Sept. 25 and 26 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sixth Avenue from Main Street to 10th Street.
