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Date: 10/3/2023
SPRINGFIELD — The seventh annual Indian Orchard Food Truck Festival is taking place on Oct. 7 from 12-6 p.m. at Myrtle Street Park. Hosted by the Indian Orchard Citizens Council, this festival is a chance for families to enjoy the fall with food, games, raffles, live music and local vendors. For the first time ever, the council will be closing the street, so the festival will be on the corner of Main and Myrtle streets.
“We encourage everyone to come out,” said IOCC President Zaida Govan. “Last year, we had over 1,000 people from Northampton, Ludlow, Wilbraham and Chicopee. This year, we’re expecting over 2,000 people to attend. The festival is now a staple in Indian Orchard and this is going to be one of the best years yet.”
Indian Orchard Citizens Council is a neighborhood council that brings neighbors together to serve the community. The council has been active for over 40 years. They’ve provided food and clothing to those in need and expanded their reach to more neighbors in Indian Orchard as well as other neighborhoods in the city of Springfield. When Govan became president, she realized there was not much the council was doing as far as the community and bringing them together. Govan came up with the idea of having a food truck festival and the board unanimously thought it was a great idea. They voted to have it and decided to put the festival on. The council started out with 300 people and four food trucks. Throughout the years, the support from the community has grown and they’ve been able to receive grants from the Mass Cultural Council and the Springfield Cultural Council.
“The mission and goal of this festival is to bring the community together,” Govan explained. “For the last 10 years and especially during the pandemic the community has been a little bit fragmented, and people don’t know each other, and we don’t know, sometimes we have a little bit of fear.”
She continued, “When we start meeting each other, we realize that we all want the same thing. We all want to live in a good community. We want to be able to raise our families and be at peace. When we know that about each other, we start to communicate with each other, fellowship and socialize. That’s what the goal of this festival is.”
Some of the vendors include Sugar & Pearls, Art on a Canvas, Parent Resource Program, Springfield Public Library Resources, Parent Villages and Hope for Holyoke. While Papi Platanos, Mari’s Natural Juices, the Snack Shacc, MJ’s Steak and Cheese and No Pork on Dis Fork are some of the food trucks attending the festival. The council will also have their first 5 on 5 basketball tournament with trophies for the winning team. There’s no fee to enter the festival, however the council is asking every participant to come by the Indian Orchard Citizens Council table and pick up a free raffle ticket because that is the way the council is counting people. They’ll be giving out raffle baskets in a raffle every hour to people who have picked up their raffle tickets. If it rains, the festival will be at the Orchard Covenant Church on 95 Berkshire St.
“It’s been amazing to see what this festival has become for the past six years,” said Govan. “I want people to continue talking to each other, learning from one another and being a community.”
For those interested in volunteering or learn more information about the festival, email iocc.council@gmail.com or call 413-301-2533.