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Vendors and food-truck owners tell Orange council selection for Orangetober left long-time local businesses out
Summary
Several long-standing food vendors and event operators told the council they were denied participation in the Orangetober festival this year, said the city selected many new vendors and outside vendors, and urged the city to explain the selection process and consider returning established local vendors to the event roster.
Small-business owners and longtime festival vendors told the Orange City Council on Aug. 26 that a recent vendor-selection process for the city’s Orangetober festival excluded many established local vendors, jeopardizing income they rely on for months.
Seth Hancock, who said he has taken part in Orange October since it began, said denial of his application and those of multiple established vendors removed a key revenue source that helps them cover several months’ operating costs. “When y’all made y’all decisions to swipe the originals and add all the new people, y’all not only did y’all take us off the event…y’all cut the lifeline for October,” Hancock said during public comment.
Vendor-owner Tammy Golson, who operates Snowborn Snow Cones, said she was concerned that recent selections favored vendors with little or no prior local event experience and vendors from outside Orange County. Golson asked for transparency and fairness in vendor selection and said local businesses deserved priority because tax dollars and community support circulate locally.
Chuck Neely, a resident and vendor, told the council he had repeatedly tried to contact city offices for an explanation and had received no response; he asked for answers and for staff to respond to emails and voicemails. Vendor Kelly Kays, representing animal-shelter grant work and municipal-shelter spay/neuter efforts, also urged collaboration but separately pressed the council on animal-control ordinances.
Council members reiterated that, under the Texas Open Meetings Act, council members cannot respond during the public-comment portion of the meeting but said staff would follow up after the meeting. A council representative said staff would “get with you following this,” indicating a direction for staff to contact affected vendors and review the selection process. No formal action or vote was taken during the meeting.
Speakers asked the city to consider partial remedies such as placing new vendors on a waiting list or phasing in new vendors so long-standing vendors would not be removed abruptly. Several speakers said the festival’s third, fourth and fifth days generate essential revenue for small businesses and that denial came too late in the planning cycle to seek comparable events elsewhere.
