Food Truck Fridays: A Farm to Fender Event will again take place from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at the Hot Springs Farmers & Artisans Market, 121 Orange St.
On Saturday, the market will feature its weekly shoppers extravaganza of local produce and handmade items from 7 a.m. to noon. Nearly a dozen food trucks will serve both lunch and dinner crowds today. In an effort to support small businesses and local farmers, the event requires participating vendors to showcase at least one locally grown or locally produced product on the menu.
Elaine Nesmith, HSFAM board member and FTF committee member, said June's inaugural event was a great success and called the community response and support "sensational."
"We listened to our customers to make improvements and they offered excellent ideas. This month, we are asking vendors to continue focusing on quality while providing quick turnaround menu items for the lunch crowds in an effort to shorten the wait time," she said in a news release.
Today's lineup will include more trucks, which expands the number of items offered. Organizers have asked vendors to put up tents over the order lines due to the hot weather, and local businesses have donated cooling towers for use under the pavilion.
"This is a community event, so every effort is made to listen to the community," Nesmith said.
Since food trucks have limited capacity to store food and restricted space for staff, wait times can be longer. But a part of the experience is the camaraderie that happens when one pauses, listens to music, relaxes for a spell, and visits with a table mate to develop new friendships, the release said.
Limited space can also mean limited inventory -- either a temporary closing after the lunch rush to allow restocking, or an early closing because a vendor is out of inventory can take place.
"We researched other food truck events and found it is all about freshly prepared unique offerings in a micro environment. There is a learning curve for Hot Springs that cities such as Austin, Chicago, and L.A. have successfully overcome," Nesmith said.
Entertainment by Fire & Brimstone members "Phil G" Norris and "Lori Marie" Harris-Norris will be a combination of reggae and contemporary music, forming a unique sound for event goers to enjoy from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. He is an accomplished guitarist who built a solid reputation in New York, Texas, Florida, California, Arkansas and parts of the Caribbean. She was born in Oklahoma and joined him in the early 1990s to play throughout Southern California for more than a decade. Their music offers a fresh and different style that commands audience attention. From 5-7:30 p.m., jazz professionals Chris Parker on keyboard, Brad Birge on upright bass, Jay Payette on drums, and vocalist Julie Zimmerman will lull visitors into the sweet sounds of summertime.
This month's featured vendors include:
• Bionic Grasshopper, from Sheridan, serving a variety of wraps, sandwiches, and salads.
• Flossie's Funnel Cakes, serving up carnival fare including corn dogs, funnel cakes, lemonade and cotton candy.
• Fork in the Road, from Little Rock, offering gourmet sandwiches and crepes.
• Itz Gud Füd, partnering with local farmers to feature gluten-, chemical- and hormone-free cornbread sandwiches for lunch, with crepes and salads for dinner.
• L.A. Taco, a local favorite, will serve up some great authentic Latin food creations.
• Mom's Goodies, offering up a variety of hot dogs, sandwiches and soft serve ice cream.
• Mug Shots Express, serving Italian sodas, teas, iced coffees and fruit ades.
• New Orleans Style Shave Ice, cooling things down with a summer favorite, including the locally grown peaches and cream flavor.
• Slader's Alaskan Dumplings, new to the Little Rock truck scene, will be serving up beef, chicken and potato with cheese Pel'meni.
• Garrett's Concessions, serving hamburgers, fries, fish sandwiches and more.
Blankets, lawn chairs, Frisbees, dogs on leashes with waste disposal bags, and bug spray are allowed; ice chests, glass containers, alcoholic beverages, and cigarettes are not.
Rick McKean, a retired Marine from Memphis who has made appearances across the United States, will perform on stage. McKean, who has played acoustic guitar for more than 30 years, performs in a singer/songwriter style and his biggest influences are troubadours like James Taylor, Bob Seger and Jim Croce. He plays in styles from rock to country, mostly hits from the '60s, '70s and '80s. His set list includes such hits as "Fire and Rain," "Night Moves" and "Operator." His jovial personality and quick humor make him a crowd favorite and the musician takes pride in the fact that he plays classic songs that people want to hear, the release said.
Father and son duo Drew and Bill Bradley will display "A Living Pantry" of chemical-free herbs at their stand. Fresh oregano, dill, sage, sage flowers and catnip can be found, along with braided garlic, onions, and Red Dragon ristras. They also have dried cherry wood for smoking chicken and pork. All of their spice blends and herbs are grown locally at the Farm@ Social Hill. No chemical fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, or herbicides are used, and herbs are picked by hand at the height of ripeness, then air dried in a climate-controlled area, manicured and packed. Two popular house blends include Bill's Basic Herb Blend made with rosemary, oregano, basil, lemon balm and black pepper and the Mediterranean Blend with sweet marjoram, oregano, and basil.
Chang's Farm has supplied market with beautiful flowers and produce for years. Food and flowers grown naturally on their farm include teddy bear sunflowers, zinnias, status, and lettuce medleys. Their produce offerings feature fresh kale, squash, zucchini, green beans, cucumbers, carrots, dill, radishes and leeks.
Birth Central Doulas will host the final week in its Pregnancy Wellness, starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. This week's topic is, "How to Breast-feed with Confidence."
The Garland County Library will also be on site to present a story hour for children from 10-11 a.m. For a limited time, the SNAP at the Market Double Bucks program continues. Market SNAP purchases can be doubled for up to $20 each Saturday. Many vendors accept SNAP and WIC at the weekend market, providing the local community a wonderful opportunity to "get fresh" for their families. The Tuesday evening market will continue this week from 4-7 p.m. at the pavilion. Parking for either day is available north of the market on Orange Street or south on Broadway Street.
Visit http://www.hotspringsfarmersmarket.com to become a Friend of the Farmers Market.
Entertainment on 07/31/2015