Foodies, unite. Food truck rallies are coming back to Historic Downtown Plant City.
At its Monday, July 25, meeting, the City Commission approved food truck rallies as a community event.
The rallies will be run by Plant City Main Street, and City Manager Mike Herr will be responsible for establishing the rules and regulations for upcoming food events.
The last time there were food truck rallies in the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World was in 2014, after then-City of Plant City Special Events Manager Deanna Hurley introduced them. The move was part of an effort to revitalize Plant City’s Historic Downtown and Midtown. At the time, the City of Plant City partnered with Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally to host vendors in McCall Park. The rallies were initially organized by the city and later by the Robert W. Willaford Railroad Museum before being discontinued.
Glenn Nicholson, owner of Neumeister’s Candy Shoppe and board director for Plant City Main Street, wanted to bring them back. He saw the benefits the rallies had on the downtown area and still has patrons ask him about them when they visit his downtown shop.
“It was a really neat environment,” Nicholson said.
After getting Plant City Main Street President Patricia Rogers and Vice President Bennie Lubrano on board, Nicholson and other board members reached out to Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally CEO Michael Blasco. The organization seeks out food trucks and various vendors for events. Blasco started Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally over a decade ago after developing a love for the diverse local tastes of Tampa.
Nicholson hopes the recurring food truck rallies will once again be a success in Plant City.
“We’re planning right now,” Nicholson said. “(They should be) recurring the last Friday of every month.”
Once brought back, the food truck rallies will continue to take place in Historic Downtown. With the approval of the City of Plant City, organizers can start booking food trucks. The event is expected to kick off Friday, Sept. 30, with at least nine food trucks and vendors present at the first rally.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.