The weather was perfect Friday night for an outdoor festival at Regner Park in West Bend. There was live music, cold drinks, family entertainment and food.
It was Riverfest; dubbed ‘West Bend’s premier food and music festival’ and as it turned out the food put some excitement into the night as one vendor ran out, another failed to show, and another dealt with staffing issues so a Rotarian volunteered to climb behind the register and help with sales.
This is the first time Riverfest has completely relied on outside food vendors. The thought was food trucks are a popular trend and they could take some of the weight off an event that relies totally on volunteer staff.
Rotary President Laura Buck said the huge turnout really gave their new format a good test. “We had a great crowd and we’re working to get more food options,” she said.
Food trucks included Buddha’s BBQ, The Gouda Girls Truck, and a vendor that served crepes.
By 6:30 p.m. the Gouda Girls had run out of food and families started to get restless. People stood in line for nearly an hour and some left the park looking for options elsewhere.
Rotarians realized the dilemma and suggested families take advantage of Toucan’s Custard, a family-run business located kitty-corner to Regner Park.
By 9 p.m. the Rotary brought in $400 worth of Jimmy John’s and started selling the foot-long subs for $5.
Quite a few people asked why the Rotary couldn’t open one of the pavilions and start flipping hamburgers. The pavilions, however, are only set up with sinks and refrigeration and there is no cooking option.
Despite the concern with the food availability, hundreds of people brought chairs and sat and listened to great music by the Whiskey Belles.
On tap Saturday, more food vendors will be on hand including Truckmeister Gourmet Burgers and Meat on the Street along with Buddha’s BBQ and the Wisconsin Cheese truck.
Riverfest opens at 11 a.m. Saturday with music by the River City Blaskapelle.
On a history note: Riverfest used to be known as Seafood Fest, which featured big white tents on N. Main Street where neighbors gathered for live music and lobster. In 2014 the Rotary revamped the 24th annual Seafood Fest and part of the change included a new name: Riverfest.