After months of buzz alternating with uncertainty, food trucks are going to be parked in the 50/50 lot next Thursday evening for the first installment of a new weekly festival.
Food on Franklin, as it’s being called, will happen every Thursday for the rest of the summer from 5 to 7 p.m. While food trucks are likely to form the core of the vendors, the City is hoping to attract people who run stalls at Tuesday’s Farmers Market as well as established restaurants with catering licenses.
The mostly empty lot will be filled with tables and chairs, and accompanying your post-work nosh there will be music (live and DJ’d), as well as art courtesy of the Yellowknife Artist Run Community Centre (YKARCC).
Each week a different artist will be featured, says YKARCC president Janna Graham, with painter Alison McCreesh kicking things off next Thursday. And it won’t simply be an art exhibit; the idea is to run interactive workshops that people can get involved in before or after having a snack. Amongst other things, there will be sessions on bookbinding, painting to music and building contact microphones.
“Part of ARCC’s mission going forward is to re-energize the downtown, especially the underutilized areas,” says Graham. “That lot is at the heart of things, so we see it as a great opportunity to help to inhabit the space.”
Though there are no musicians lined up for next Thursday yet, Richard McIntosh, a communications officer with the City, said he’s hoping to have a little stage area set up for the following weeks.
The City is still looking for vendors and musicians. If you’re interested get in touch with Richard McIntosh: rmcintosh@yellowknife.ca.
