HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) — The Evansville Food Truck Festival is set to kick off at Bosse Field Sunday afternoon, but a competing event was recently announced.
A protest against festival organizer Joe Notter is also planned for Sunday. According to the Facebook event page, the protest will take place at Garvin Park from 12pm to 5pm.
The page states: “We stand against homophobia and discrimination and celebrate love, acceptance and inclusion!”
It also reads, “We can see that the organizers of the Food Truck Festival, Evansville Events, are not on the side of our community!”
Eyewitness News reached out to Notter and he provided the following statement:
“Being greeted by protesters is proof we’re doing something big. This festival continues to be our most popular festival. We were happy to raise funds for Rolling Thunder Chapter 6 and presented a check for $6,000 to the veterans group. We want to remind everyone that we have always welcomed everyone, regardless of opinions or differences. This is our seventh year and we look forward to seeing you at Bosse Field tomorrow from 1-8pm. Please stay hydrated and prepare food. There will be plenty of family-friendly activities planned for the day.
We have made some adjustments to the main entrance, including free water stations and industrial fans, to accommodate the warm weather. We encourage friendly protests and will provide escorts to the sidewalks off-site. Protesters of any kind will not be allowed on the grounds of Boss Field. This is a directive from higher up. We will also be very mindful of any offensive clothing, signs or language from any group on the grounds or within the stadium to maintain a fun atmosphere. We are hosting these food festivals to bring everyone together in a fun, non-threatening and safe environment to celebrate local and regional food culture, live musicians, local small businesses and more. For more information on the festivals, please visit EvansvilleEvents.com. We are also excited about our Pickle Festival and Macaroni and Cheese Festival announced for the fall. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
Joe Notter – Founder of EvansvilleEvents.com and the Evansville Food Truck Festival.
Several food trucks, including Sabor Columbia, Jack B. Nibble, Mexevansville by La Campirana, and Kona Ice, have announced that they will not be participating in the festival. No reasons were given, and it is unclear whether they were originally scheduled to participate in the festival.
