Graham’s biggest event will be kicking off on the downtown square as the Food Truck Championship of Texas makes its debut for a ninth year. Along with the food truck event will be the Possum Pedal bike ride and a concert taking place at the Young County Arena.
The day of events Saturday, June 1 kicks off at the corner of Third and Oak Street at 7 a.m. with the Graham Chamber of Commerce Possum Pedal bike ride with routes of 6, 27, 42, 50, 61 and 74 miles through Young County. Registration for the event can be completed online at bikereg.com/possum-pedal.
The Food Truck Championship of Texas kicks off at 11 a.m. with visitors to the event having the opportunity to submit their people’s choice vote via the event app. Voting for the People’s Choice Award will conclude at 2 p.m. and the winner will be announced at 3 p.m.
“Our grand champion winner gets a belt as their trophy, $10,000 cash and bragging rights for the year, of course,” Visit Graham Executive Director Amanda Dulany said. “Then we have a list of other awards that we also give out (such as) Best Food Truck Spirit, Best Truck Design, Best International, Best Dessert, Best American, Best Barbecue and People’s Choice. Combined, it’s $16,000 in prize money.”
Food truck dishes at the event are judged by three professional chefs who bring their culinary expertise downtown.
“This past year we had the executive chef from King Ranch (and) we had the executive chef from Four Sixes Ranch here,” Dulany said. “We’ve had a James Beard nominated chef that specializes in baking that’s been here before. It’s important to stress to people that the dishes are being judged at a professional level.”
Visit Graham is looking to make the judging a more involved experience.
“In years past, we’ve showcased who (the judges) are, but their scoring has been pretty much anonymous,” Dulany said. “...This year, we’re really looking forward to expanding that into a panel where the judges have the opportunity to come out and say, ‘This is the grand champion and this is why we felt that way.’”
Dulany said moving up the food truck awards ceremony one hour to 3 p.m. and having an emphasis on judging will provide visitors with more of an opportunity to try out the trucks who make the biggest impact.
“The emphasis on the judging is a great opportunity to promote the actual championship component of the day, but also shine a spotlight on our judges and promote them and their time and their effort and their expertise in being here,” she said. “Hopefully, bringing that part earlier in the day increases visibility and sales for the trucks as well.”
Musical entertainment on the downtown square will be held alongside the event from 10:30 a.m. to noon featuring Race Ricketts, Presley Haile and Nick Brumley and from 12:30-2 p.m. featuring Gabe Lee and Parker Ryan.
Along with the musical entertainment and variety of delectable delights from mobile culinary experts, the square will have an Art Walk featuring Texas artisans on the corner of the Young County Courthouse lawn at Third and Oak Street.
The night of fun ends at the Young County Arena with a concert featuring Reckless Kelly and Shane Smith and the Saints. Doors open for the concert at 5:30 p.m. and the concert will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online for the event by visiting foodtruckchampionshipoftexas.com.
“(The concert is) another opportunity for us to showcase what we have here and what we’re capable of doing,” Dulany said. “Graham and Young County both are blessed to have a facility like the Young County Arena because nobody else around us has anything like that. We have a huge capacity there and it is such a blessing to be able to have that. So it is of course an opportunity for us to hold a large event, but also to showcase our venue to folks who may not otherwise see it.”
Visit Graham CEO Cathy Partridge said the organization always looks to make the event a showcase of Graham and look to establish a standing tradition for all who attend.
“It’s an event that we would love for people to want to do every year that live away... (and) to be something that’s a marker on (their) calendar that (they) really want to do because it just sounds fun,” she said.
