JACKSON – The community will welcome summer on June 26 with the Fireworks and Food Trucks Festival, a popular event that each year draws a crowd of thousands to Johnson Memorial Park to celebrate the start of the season.
The event will begin at 4 p.m. and will feature a dozen food trucks, fireworks at 9 p.m., live music, a DJ, a basketball tournament and community groups offering information and resources.
“We hold the festival as close to July Fourth as possible,” said Joeylynne Anderson,
Jackson’s recreation and special events coordinator.
Admission and parking are free and there is ample parking at the park on Kierych Memorial Drive, according to Anderson, who said the festival has drawn crowds of up to 10,000 festival-goers. There is no rain date.
Anderson said the event, which is in its fifth year, is presented through the coordinated efforts of the Jackson recreation, public works and police departments, and with the support of township officials.
Food trucks at the festival will offer a variety of cuisines, including Wholly Bowls, Relish The Dog, Kiersten’s Creations, Cousin’s Maine Lobster, Kona Ice, Fitchicks, John and Debbie O’s Empanada Monster, Shore Good Eats and Treats, Jersey Eatz, Mr. Softee, Ohana Bites and Cold Stone Creamery.
Community groups including Jackson’s Clean Communities program, Municipal
Alliance and Recycling Department will offer educational materials and resources.
Attendees can stop by the Clean Communities tent to receive free reusable shopping
bags courtesy of BagUpNJ, straws, lunch boxes, Clean Communities information and
more while supplies last.
For more information about BagUpNJ, visit www.bagupnj.com
Entertainment will be provided live by Discotek DJ and band, rocking from 5:30-
7 p.m., and Coast 2 Coast, from 7:30-9 p.m.
The event will also feature the third annual 3v3 basketball tournament sponsored by the Porter Family Scholarship Fund. Pre-registration is required for the youth and adult three-point contests. There is a registration fee. Players for the youth team must be middle school students. Players for the adult team must be 18 years or older.
Prizes will be awarded and, according to organizers, funds raised will benefit student athletic scholarships. For more information, email PortersScholars@gmail.com
A planned cornhole tournament has been cancelled due to a lack of entries, according to
the event’s organizers.
