By Danielle Ray
Landmark correspondent
RUTLAND — Area foodies rejoice! The Rutland Food Truck Festival and Craft Fair returns this month and will be bigger and better than ever.
As for the bigger part, well, that necessitates a change of venue. The event has outgrown Memorial Field, where it has been held for the last several years. This year’s festival is slated for July 29 from noon to 5 p.m. at Naquag Elementary School, a bigger space that will enable organizers to offer more food trucks, more crafters, more beer, and more fun.
“Over the years, the Rutland Food Truck Festival has become a larger, more attended annual town event. The new location allows more room and ease of access for a larger number of vendors, food trucks and attendees,” said event manager Robert Ziedelis.
Admission is free to the festival run by WooTrucks (wootrucks.com), a food truck commissary, commercial kitchen, and base of operations for food trucks, caterers, bakers, and food entrepreneurs located on Main Street in Boylston. Ziedelis said when WooTrucks founder Mark Gallant was approached by then Rutland Town Administrator Mike Nicholson five years ago about bringing a food truck festival to town, the company jumped at the opportunity to help facilitate.
“Nicholson was previously associated with the town of Gardner, where WooTrucks had held and coordinated several large, successful food truck events,” Ziedelis shared of how the collaboration came about.
Nearly two dozen food trucks are lined up to participate this year, and they will offer a wide variety of cuisines for purchase, including district-based ones such as Baked and Moeshmallows and others from the region: Beach Bum Pizza, Thee Taco Dude, Trolley Dogs, Uncle Joey’s Cannoli, and more. In addition, several local crafters will offer handknit clothing, handmade greeting cards, and other quality goods.
Ziedelis said they are looking forward to the festival and to showcasing local and regional entrepreneurs.
“It’s great to see the community come together for events like this that support local small businesses and the arts and culture community,” he said. “Rutland’s town administrators, public health and safety officials, and local civic organizations put in the time (and) effort and make many accommodations to make these festivals a continuing success.”
