Elgin's 2nd annual food truck fest Aug. 11

The second annual Eric & Kathy Food Truck Fest is next week in downtown Elgin, and some hope the popularity of the eateries on wheels will prompt the city to ease its restrictions in the future.

The festival, a partnership between Grand Victoria Casino and WTMX FM-101.9, takes place from 6 to 10 p.m. Aug. 11 at Festival Park in downtown Elgin.

Eric Ferguson, Melissa McGurren and Brian "Whip" Paruch of the popular "Eric & Kathy" morning show host the event, said Dave Karwowski, director of marketing for the station. Kathy Hart, who hasn't been on the show since late April, is taking a leave of absence, he said.

Twenty-eight participating food trucks were listed as of Monday at wtmx.com/eric-and-kathy-food-truck-fest, including Pierogi Wagon, Happy Lobster, Flying Tacos, Giordano's, A Sweet Girl Cupcakes, Gino's Steak, Joe's BBQ & Fish and Kona Ice. The casino's Prime BurgerHouse restaurant also will participate this year, casino spokeswoman Marilou Pilman said.

An estimated 6,000 people attended last year's Food Truck Fest, a record for casino events at Festival Park, Pilman said. Attendance is expected to be even higher this year, she said.

"It always gives us great pleasure to bring thousands of visitors to Elgin and showcase our property and our city. For many of them, it's their first time to come to Elgin and it's our hope that it would be the first of many future visits," she said.

Food trucks are allowed in Elgin only at public events like festivals and the seasonal Harvest Market, and with a special permit on private property; the same restrictions apply to ice cream trucks, said Brad Bohner, Elgin's public health coordinator.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin wants to work with the city to allow food trucks to operate more freely, association board member Ben Glunz said.

"There is a desire for food trucks to be in downtown, and there is a desire from the citizens in the community to expand that," he said.

Councilwoman Tish Powell agreed. "(Councilwoman) Carol (Rauschenberger) and I are very much interested in that change,"she said.

One idea is to allow food trucks only in certain areas of town, Powell said. As for whether that will create competition for local restaurants, "It's just other options. It's just something that draws people to Elgin and makes us unique," Powell said.