Last summer’s weekly food truck rodeo will not return this year, with the area’s mobile munch wagons saying they’re stretched to thin.
Instead, the Griffin’s Dairy Farm Committee, which coordinated the event, is organizing a monthly movie night on the lawn at Millennium Memorial Park.
“I am a little disappointed, but I understand the food trucks are out there to make money to support the owners and their workers,” said Richard Hanna of the Griffin’s Dairy Farm Committee, which coordinated the event.
About a half dozen food trucks gathered in the Town Hall and Town Library parking lot every Wednesday last summer. However, Katie Keefe, president of the South Shore Food Truck Association, told the Abington Board of Selectmen her group’s board felt they had “oversaturated the area” with weekly rodeo nights.
“We would still like to work with the Town and it was well received its just we have certain things that have been happening longer we wanted to stick with, ” she said, citing, among other things, festivities around the upcoming 400th anniversary of Weymouth.
Hanover has a weekly food truck rodeo at Forge Field. And the association is promoting a new weekly food truck night in Kingston on Wednesdays.
The new plan is a monthly movie night, Hanna said.
The park committee coordinated the food truck night, which initially took place at Griffin’s Dairy Park, but relocated to the town hall complex after crowds overwhelmed the park site.
Hanna said the events will be held on May 7, June 4, July 16, Aug. 13, and Sept. 10 – all Saturdays. Family-friendly movies will be shown on a large inflatable screen by the Nisby Bandstand.
The food truck association, which hoped to have trucks at the monthly events, was only able to secure trucks for the May and September movies. Food trucks will arrive at 5 p.m., and serve until 8 p.m. An ice cream truck will stay open through the movie.
The slate of food trucks will be announced as the date gets closer, Hanna said.
The Abington Lions Club will sponsor the June, July, and August movies, opening the consession stand grill at 6:30 p.m., and remaining open until about 30 minutes into the movie. The Lions Club menu will be similar to what they offer during the Sunday night Summer Concert Series: hot dogs, burgers, snacks, and cold drinks.
The movie screen and speakers are on loan from the Senior Center.
“With out them we couldn’t have done this,” Hanna said.
The Woodsdale Elementary School PTO is also sponsoring a movie night behind the school on Saturday, May 7.