Irony Express: Now Arriving

Mere months after the City of Riverside got done double-super-banning food trucks, which were already banned by county health regulations, I opened up the City's "15 Favorite Things to Do" e-newsletter and find this:

Riverside Food Truck Festival
Downtown Riverside

The City of Riverside gets a taste of the food truck craze with the First Annual Riverside Food Truck Festival on Saturday, September 3. This event will feature 50 food trucks from throughout Southern California. Experience the trendiest gourmet, specialty and fusion foods. Find out for yourself why food trucks have moved from “roach coach” to Food Network and international fame. There’ll be live music, roller derby girls, sports celebrities, a family sport zone, games for all ages and a special VIP access area (almost sold out!). All proceeds will help support three non-profit organizations in Riverside: Asian Pacific Lunar Festival, Riverside Arts Council and Riverside County Prevent Child Abuse. Brought to you by Paul Davis, Ward 4 Riverside City Councilman.

(Food trucks are allowed, by permit, at specially-designated events.)

So huzzah! Riverside has decided to set aside one day of the year to celebrate the culinary diversity and entrepreneurship of food trucks! Of course, on the other 364, they could be shut down for peddling their tasty wares anywhere within the city limits.

Riverside and San Bernardino Counties are the only two counties in the state with a ban on hot food trucks. San Bernardino County just recently decided to loosen their regulations- and, although they don't go far enough, it's a step in the right direction. Riverside decides to do what seems to be Riverside's answer to everything- hold a festival! Perhaps this will lead to the public putting political pressure on their elected officials to bring food trucks here during the rest of the year, but it's at least good for a laugh.

Anyway, as my readers might (along with myself) enjoy the opportunity to sample the SoCal food truck renaissance's finest right here in River City, I should probably let you all know where this is happening. It'll be in downtown, at Market/3rd (in the mostly-empty Lot 33 near the Convention Centre.) Transit: RTA 12, 16, 29, short walk from Downtown Terminal (1, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 22, 29, 49, Omni 215, 216). Tickets are $8 presale, $10 at the gate, $25 for a limited number of air-conditioned VIP tix.