Food Truck Rally Coming To Flanders This Month

Dedicated foodies looking to kick off summer will have to go no further than Flanders, where the inaugural FRNCA Food Truck Festival is rolling into town later this month.

The event, scheduled for May 19 to 21, is the first of its kind in Flanders, and is the brainchild of three organizations—the Flanders, Riverside, Northampton Community Association, the Truth Community Church, and Riverside Rediscovered—that were looking for a way to get residents out of the house with family- and pet-friendly activities in their own backyard.

First pitched last summer by Ron Fisher, the chairman of FRNCA, the event has taken off, with more than 15 food trucks expected to rotate throughout the course of each day during the three-day festival. With many food options to choose from, participants will also be treated to live music and performances, as well as an Escape the Room Game Long Island trailer, where teams of two can go head-to-head to outsmart each other and “escape” fastest.

“We think this is a creative and innovative way to pull together the community but to also say we have the market to support businesses,” Siris Barrios of Riverside Rediscovered said of the project, referring to revitalization efforts in the hamlets of Flanders and Riverside. “We are happy to be a part of this because it will continue to build community.”

The event will take place on the grounds of the Truth Community Church on Flanders Road, with parking available next door at the David Crohan Center, and along Bell Avenue. There will be tables, chairs and tents set up for comfort while eating.

“This is about having the community come around and seeing that there is more to the area than what they associate with Flanders,” FRNCA member Sandy Adams said. “People will be passing through and hear about it and see that this is a nice place.”

The event is scheduled for 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday, May 19; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5, and participants can buy food at as many food trucks as they like. Proceeds will go to FRNCA, which will use the funds for local community projects and scholarships. A full list of food trucks has not been released yet, though Frank & Liz’s Sausage & Bracciole and Anewyoricanthing have been announced as among the attendees. Participating vendors will be announced on Facebook closer to the weekend of the event.

“For us, this is why we exist in this community, to help bring positivity and positive changes as part of organizations doing good things,” Pastor Keith Indovino of the Truth Community Church said. “There are a lot of times that a community gets noticed when something bad happens, but if we can be a part of something good that is happening and create a safe space, that to me is a win.”