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Parks board approves weekly food-truck nights at Pullman skate park
Summary
The Michigan City Parks and Recreation Board approved a special-events proposal to host 2–4 food trucks at Pullman Field skate park on Wednesday evenings this summer, with no vendor fee for the first season and vendors required to be self-sufficient for power and water.
The Michigan City Parks and Recreation Board on June 4 approved a plan to host weekly food trucks at the Pullman Field skate park, authorizing gatherings on Wednesday evenings between mid-June and Aug. 27. Eric Williams, Michigan City special events, told the board the organizers will seek local vendors from Michigan City and La Porte County and are not charging a participation fee in the program’s first year.
Why it matters: Board members said the West Side location has limited food options and could draw residents to Pullman. Williams said the event is intentionally low-cost at launch to build attendance; vendors must be self-sustaining because the city will not supply electricity or water.
Williams outlined the proposal during the meeting: “Basically, we are just looking for permission to stage 2 to 4 food trucks, at Pullman Field every Wednesday from June 11 to August 27,” and added the plan is to “stick with food vendors who are local to Michigan City or La Porte County.” He told the board organizers may delay the opening a week to June 18 if they need extra time to recruit vendors.
A public commenter who identified themselves as a vendor said they have a list of interested trucks and were confident they could have a lineup quickly, though Williams said the group would “probably reevaluate” and adjust if the event didn’t meet expectations in early weeks. The board approved the proposal by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the minutes.
The first-year approach will waive vendor fees and limit utility support to encourage vendor participation. Williams said a contract will be used with participating vendors and the event organizers will return to the board to amend terms if the program expands.
The board noted the city’s existing food-truck rules and said future proposals will need to align with city ordinance. Several board members signaled support and encouraged staff to coordinate signage and outreach to attract attendees from nearby neighborhoods.
