Food Truck Night A Hit At Mills County Fairgrounds

The aroma of smoked BBQ and fried funnel cakes was in the air again Thursday night in Malvern, signaling the start of another season of Food Truck Night at the Mills County Fairgrounds .

Eight vendors – six food and two specialty -  offering everything from tacos and Thai to fresh lemonade and homemade ice cream, were set up to satisfy the appetites and quench the thirsts of a steady stream of patrons.

Food Truck Night was established in 2024 as a fundraiser for the Mills County Fair Association and a way to bring people from across the county and southwest Iowa together at the fairgrounds.

“This isn’t so much just a fundraiser, it’s to get people to socialize, to get people on our fairgrounds and see what we have,” said Mills County Fair Association Secretary Mary Bolton.  “Some people come here and they don’t even know we have this Lakin Center, so we want people to see what we have.”

Bolton said all the food truck vendors pay a monthly $50 fee to participate. Some will come every month and some will make it three or four times this summer, but there will always be six to eight vendors any given month, each selling their own specialty food items. The trucks are open from 5-8 p.m.

“I try not to have the same foods because I try not to have them compete against each other,” said Bolton. “I want everybody to have a good night.

“Last year, everyone wanted tacos. This is their first time here. Smokin’ Good Times is a very popular one, they set up in Malvern a lot anyway and they are very well known here so they usually sell out.”

In addition to paying the monthly fee, all Food Truck Night vendors are required to provide a certificate of liability insurance and a food permit from the State of Iowa. Vendors come from several southwest Iowa communities, including Avoca, Council Bluffs, Denision, Glenwood, Henderson and Oakland.

“Word has gotten out to vendors because these new ones reached out to me,” Bolton said. “They had heard about it last year.”

Bolton said some months were busier than others last year and the peak time for patrons is usually between 6 –7 p.m., but it can vary. “It all depends what school activities are going on and where the ballgames are at,” she said. “Every month is different.  May is one of the best months, sometimes June slows down a little bit and then July starts out slow, but that’s the night they bring in all the livestock for the fair so toward the end of the night, these guys are bombarded with the 4-H families.”

In addition to the food items, there are also plenty cold beverage selections available, including fresh lemonade, sodas, water and even beer.

“It’s a family event,” Bolton said. “We do have a beer garden. There is beer available, pop and water. That is all run through the bar affiliated with the Lakin Center so that money itself ends up back with the fair board.”

Mills County isn’t the first county in southwest Iowa to have a Food Truck Night at the fairgrounds. The East Pottawattamie County Fair in Avoca has been having food truck nights for several years.

“There’s some nights they’ve had 11 or 12 trucks and they get hundreds of people through there,” Bolton noted. “That would be our goal, but until I know we’re really selling out every month, I’m not going to bombard it and people not have good nights.”

The next Food Truck Night at the Mills County Fairgrounds is June 12. Additional dates this summer are July 10, Aug. 14 and Sept. 11.