Friday, March 29, 2024

Connect with us:

Lansing sizzles, melts, rocks at Food Truck Fest

by Jamilyn Hiskes

LANSING, Ill. (July 19, 2019) – If you didn’t have water or sunglasses at Fox Pointe on the afternoon of Saturday, July 13, you were in trouble.

Despite temperatures climbing into the 90s, just under 200 people gathered at Fox Pointe for its first-ever Food Truck Fest from 3:00–8:00pm. The shaded pavilion was crowded with people eating barbecue, ice cream, and cupcakes, and even though it was hot, there was nothing but positive energy all around.

The shaded pavilion was the popular gathering point for the Food Truck Fest. Almost 200 people were in attendance by 6:00pm. (Photo: Jamilyn Hiskes)

The Food Truck Fest featured four trucks from the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana area: American food and sandwich vendor Sizzle Box, cupcake truck Cute As A Cupcake, barbecue truck Bill’s Grill, and cereal-infused ice cream vendor Cream Crunch N’ More.

In addition, 1980s rock cover band Kik-N-Jimi performed at the Fest from 4:00–7:00pm, opening with “Karn Evil 9” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer:

 

Most of the fest-goers were huddled in the shade of the pavilion, leaving an expanse of sweltering sunshine and lawn between the band and the audience. However, the crowd still cheered and applauded and danced to show their support for the band. At one point, lead singer Randy Barron said jokingly, “There’s so much distance between us!” before launching into Journey’s 1983 hit “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart).” His voice and the rest of the band’s instrumentals filled the space nicely and even inspired some people to stand closer to the stage.

Some attendees braved the heat to stand closer to the stage and support Kik-n-Jimi. (Photo: Jamilyn Hiskes)

Milkshakes from Cream Crunch N’ More and frozen strawberry lemonades from Cute As A Cupcake were the perfect counters to the stifling afternoon heat, but it wasn’t too hot for some people to dig into a deep-dish grilled cheese from Sizzle Box or smoked ribs from Bill’s Grill.

The fest was the first Illinois event for Sizzle Box, a food truck with “unique” food such as crab cakes and grilled cheeses. (Photo: Jamilyn Hiskes)

Juan, the man who had the task of operating a food truck called Sizzle Box on a 90-degree day, said business for him during the fest was “steady.”

“We’re unique,” he said. “It’s hard to describe our food. People will ask me, ‘What is this? How do I make it?’ And I’ll tell them, ‘Well, it’s not that easy to say.'”

Juan said this was Sizzle Box’s first event in Illinois, and he got his truck on the bill by approaching the Village of Lansing.

“We wanted to do a big event for our first time [in Illinois] since we’ve never been here before, but we figured we’d start here—small event, four trucks,” he said. “We’d definitely come back.”

The crowd at Fox Pointe for the fest wasn’t as large as a Wednesday night concert—not only because of the heat, but also because it was run concurrently with the second Cruise Night of the summer. Still, judging from the vibe in the pavilion, Lansing’s first Food Truck Fest could safely be called a success.

About the food trucks

Bill’s Grill is based in Highland, Ind. The truck can be found online at roaminghunger.com/bills-grill and contacted during the week at 1-800-568-9370.

Cute As A Cupcake is based in Merrillville, Ind. The truck can be found online at www.cuteasacupcake3.com and contacted at ​219-472-0858, Monday-Saturday.

Cream Crunch N’ More is based in Northwest Indiana. The truck can be found online at creamcrunchnmore.com and contacted at 219-595-7742.

Sizzle Box is based in Northwest Indiana. The truck can be found online at www.eatsizzlebox.com and contacted at [email protected].

About Kik-N-Jimi

Kik-N-Jimi is a 1980s rock cover band from Calumet City consisting of singer Barron, drummer Roland Qualkinbush, guitarist Dave Perez, keyboardist Carl Moszur and bassist Marty Paul. They can be found on Facebook.

ABOUT FOX POINTE

Fox Pointe is Lansing’s premiere outdoor entertainment venue, located at 18138 Henry Street, Lansing, Illinois. For a full list of upcoming events, visit FoxPointe.org.

Jamilyn Hiskes
Jamilyn Hiskes
Jamilyn Hiskes is a Loyola University Chicago School of Communications graduate and experienced journalist who enjoys writing stories about people, entertainment, and politics. She’s new to Lansing, but that only makes her more eager to learn about the town through her reporting for The Lansing Journal.