Chamber’s Saturday events a success despite storm threat

Three events in Graham shared success for a third year in a row last Saturday, with the main event, the Food Truck Championship of Texas, drawing in huge crowds despite the possibility of bad weather.

The events started in the morning with the Possum Pedal bike ride in Southwestern Young County, then led into the Food Truck Championship which hada total of 38 trucks on the square, before finally closing with a concert at the Young County Arena. Graham Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) CEO Krisa De La Cruz said the improvements made by the CBB for the food truck event led to a positive reaction for visitors.

“Overall the feedback I gathered and what I heard overwhelmingly is ‘hey we are just so glad the CVB listened to the public,’ because they had mentioned they needed more restrooms, they had mentioned they need more shade and we tried listen and implement those change to make it an even better event,” she said.

Food truck

De La Cruz said that attendance for the food truck event had very similar numbers to last year, which the board based off how much food is sold by the food trucks, but ultimately it is hard to gauge since it is a free event. For her the event has become a staple for the city of Graham for years to come.

“It is definitely a tradition and I actually think that at this point Graham has been branded by it, which I love,” she said. “When you go out of town now, whether it’s in a different part of Texas or even out of state often people will say, ‘oh Graham, that is where the Food Truck Championship is, right,’ and they know and that is cool, it’s a neat thing.”

Possum Pedal

The Possum Pedal with its 6, 20, 37, 51, 67, and 83 miles routes, traveling Southwestern Young County, had many cyclists who were more than happy for the rain De La Cruz said.

“The weather had a little effect, but the riders who did come out and ride the Possum Pedal said it was beautiful,” she said. “The weather was perfect and they actually don’t mind the light drizzle because it keeps them cool, so they were happy with the weather.”

Rest stops were spaced out every 10-12 miles with emergency support and gear wagons. Young County Sheriff Travis Babcock, The Graham Soccer Association, Brother’s Smokehouse and more volunteered to give out supplies at the rest stops.
“We try to have our rests stops kind of be that hospitality suite, so to speak, sort of their introduction to Graham for these people who are coming out of town.” De La Cruz said.

Concert

The concert at the Young County arena featuring Walker McGuire, Reckless Kelly and Aaron Watson was a success for the chamber with just under 2,000 people in attendance. Though the concert did not sell out De La Cruz said it was still an amazing experience.

“It was hands down one of the, if not the best concert I have ever been to and I have heard that from a lot of other people in the community,” she said. “Everything from the parking to the ticket check-in to the seating, every bit of it was just smooth and the city crew just did a fabulous job, the police department, public works department, you know, they pulled together and helped us out so much."

For the chamber the event was different because Aaron Watson volunteered to talk to fans after the show, something the chamber has in the past not been able to schedule with performers, De La Cruz said.

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