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Cottage Grove CVB previews Sept. 13 Food Truck Festival with 35-truck cap, volunteers sought
Summary
CVB staff outlined plans for the Sept. 13, 2025 Cottage Grove Food Truck Festival at Kingston Park, including hours, entertainment, vendor counts, sponsorships and a volunteer request; organizers estimate last year's attendance at about 14,000.
The Cottage Grove Convention and Visitors Bureau on Aug. 26 provided an update on the 2025 Cottage Grove Food Truck Festival, set for Saturday, Sept. 13 at Kingston Park. The festival is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and organizers said they have capped food-truck entries at 35.
Jamie, a staff member presenting the item, said 27 food trucks are fully confirmed (paperwork and payment complete) and eight additional trucks are in various stages of completing paperwork or payment. Jamie said organizers will add trucks to the event Facebook page once registration is finalized.
Organizers reported $6,500 in sponsorships collected to date, including both paid and in-kind contributions (for example, a sanitation company providing dumpsters). A marketplace will return for its second year; the CVB had a goal of 10–15 vendors and reported 16 confirmed vendors. Entertainment planned for the day includes early and late sets by the bands Basic and Boring and Revved Up, bounce houses, a rustic-photo booth and a face-cutout stand for attendee photos.
The CVB also coordinated with the Mississippi River Valley Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Group, which is hosting a run/walk/ruck event the same morning beginning at 9 a.m. at Kingston Park. Jamie said the run is offered in 5K, 10K and 15K options and that the run is expected to finish about when the food-truck festival opens.
Board members were asked to volunteer at the CVB's Discover Cottage Grove booth. Jamie said booth hours are roughly 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and that duties would include handing out materials and answering visitor questions. Jamie estimated attendance from last year at just over 14,000 people and said planners are hoping for higher numbers this year.
Board members asked about promotion; staff said paid social advertising is focused primarily on Facebook (the CVB and city pages), the event page is actively updated, and the City's Cottage Grove Reports distribution is being used. Staff said other platforms such as BlueSky were tested for city communications but that Facebook continues to generate most engagement; the CVB is also exploring other advertising channels if viable.
No formal action was required for the update because the meeting began without a quorum and became informational only until a quorum was confirmed. The CVB encouraged board members to volunteer and to share promotional materials via their networks.
