Burgers, Bands & Brews …with a twist or two
There will be burgers. There will be bands. There will be brews.
But Saturday’s annual Burgers, Bands & Brews festival in Central Park will also add some new touches to kick off Tracy’s 150th town celebration.
Let’s start with food. Not only will the Tracy Lions be serving up burgers from the Murray County Pork Producers and hot dogs fresh off the grill, a number of food trucks will also be on-site, including MGLX Food and Drink (Asian-inspired fare), Rosita’s Mexican Food, Lingen Dairy and Sweet Kettle Madness.
“I appreciate the Tracy Lions Club agreeing on somewhat short notice to grill up and serve burgers that evening,” Tracy Community Development Director Tom Dobson said.
What about bands? Eric James will lead things off from 4-5:30 p.m., followed by Time After Time from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Finally, Blake Schmitz will take the stage with his country and pop music from 8-10 p.m.
And brews? Yes, there will be plenty of adult beverages on sale thanks to Boxcar Liquors, plus wine, courtesy of Round Lake Vineyards & Winery.
There will be wine tasting as well. Finally, bouncy houses will open at 3 p.m., with music and food staring at 4 p.m.
And how much will it cost you to get in? That’s the best part: While food and drinks come with a cost, admission is free this year.
“In the past, included a burger and a drink of your choice for 15 bucks — it’s a fundraiser,” Dobson said. “The bands themselves — thanks to our sponsors — is pretty much completely covered; excess of that goes to the Tracy Area Community Foundation. “We decided to make the event fee, but there’s a charge with food. That lets individuals decide what they want to spend.”
Platinum sponsors include Invenergy, Box Car Wind, Plum Creek Wind Farm; Silver sponsors are Premium Plant Services, Bluepeak, and Xcel Energy; and Bollig Engineering is a Gold sponsor.
A number of local businesses also provide inkind donations.
“Our sponsors help make this event possible and free,” Dobson said. “Last year, we toyed with the idea, and this year we decided to make it a free event.”
“When we went from $10 to $15 I was a little bit concerned,” Dobson said. Obviously, it’s a fundraiser; the proceeds go to good causes and get put back into the community. We tested ($15) and I don’t think it went as well. This way, people can decide if they want to eat there, how much they want to spend.”
