April 16, 2024
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Montgomery opens up with Street Eats Festival

Food trucks serve up delectable delights as state enters Phase 5

By Shea Lazansky

Patrons lined up for their favorite food trucks along Mill Street and River Street in downtown Montgomery June 12, at the inaugural Montgomery Street Eats Fest. (Shea Lazansky)

On Saturday June 12, one day after Illinois entered Phase 5 of the COVID-19 recovery plan, area residents filled the Mill Street Bridge and Montgomery Park for the inaugural Street Eats Festival featuring area food trucks, music and a beer garden.

Oswego residents Jesenia and Miliano Perez were two of many who came out to the park Saturday, dancing to “Baby Shark” and enjoying a bite from their favorite food truck, Happy Lobster Truck.

“It feels good,” Perez said. “We always come to Happy Lobster, we never miss it. We’re happy to be out.”

The idea for the food truck festival had been in the works for the past few years, Trustee Doug Marecek said.

The purpose, he said, was to “have an event downtown, try to draw some more people to downtown Montgomery and make people aware of what is going on down here.”

A precursor to the upcoming MontgomeryFest, Marecek said the festival was “a nice way to get people out in the community.”

Mariette Boniche and Jose Perez were two who stopped by the park for the festival, and had a great time.

“We’re just trying to get back to normal,” Boniche said. “We needed this, just to hang around outside. I think it’s great.”

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Mariette Boniche (right) and Jose Perez stopped by to enjoy the Montgomery Street Eats Festival June 12 in downtown Montgomery. "We needed this, just to hang around outside. I think it's great," Boniche said. (Shea Lazansky)