Madison County Visitors Bureau proposes food-truck festival for Oct. 3 at Dickman Town Center; logistics under review

Mark Backer, executive director of the Madison County Visitors Bureau, told the Anderson City Parks Board on Feb. 3 that the bureau wants to move its food-truck festival to Dickman Town Center and shift the date to Oct. 3 to avoid extreme summer heat. Backer said the event has run for two prior years and that organizers are targeting roughly 22 food-and-beverage vendors and an estimated 1,200 attendees; proposed event hours are about 4 p.m.–8 p.m. with vendor setup beginning the morning of the event.

Backer said last year’s footprint used roughly 400 linear feet for 22 trucks and that adequate adjacent parking (as much as 1,000 linear feet of existing parking spaces) could be used so trucks would not need to be placed inside the park. "I wouldn't want to put them in there. I want to keep them on the traditional parking for safety," he said.

Staff member David (surname not provided in the transcript) raised concerns about whether the site can safely fit 22 trucks, plus traffic-control and shutdown logistics for the corridor. The board and Backer agreed staff should continue detailed planning with the bureau to reconcile spacing, traffic control and permitting before a final site approval is issued.

Backer said the bureau has already been in contact with downtown partners and the Paramount Theater to avoid scheduling conflicts and that they plan to publicize the event through social and traditional media. Board members thanked staff for support and urged continued coordination; no formal approval or vote was recorded in the meeting minutes.

Next steps: parks staff will meet with Backer and department traffic/operations staff to determine precise truck spacing, required road closures or traffic-control resources, and vendor permitting steps. Backer indicated he would work with staff to compress the truck layout if necessary and to provide a finalized vendor list.