This is the 12th year for the event that serves as the nonprofit Union Centre Boulevard Merchant Association’s major fundraiser.
“We typically get 10,000 to 12,000 people. I think this year we’re going to get more – I expect record attendance,” said Denise Reier, UCBMA president. “We’ve ramped up the entertainment.’’
The Michelle Robinson Band will perform from 3:30-6:30 p.m. The Naked Karate Girls follows, from 7-10 p.m.
Forty-two food trucks were selected from 97 applications – the most applications ever received, Reier said. Among the offerings are ethnic cuisine from numerous nationalities including Nigerian, Mexican, Korean, German, and Greek.
Vendors are offering fish and chips, cheesesteaks, pizza, barbecue, ice cream and other delectables. There are also gluten free, vegetarian and vegan samplings.
“We try to select a few food trucks from each category,” Reiser said.
“We look at their Facebook pages to see how they do at other festivals, whether they’ve been to ours before and how they did.”
To keep the event affordable, all food trucks selected must offer at least one item priced at $7 or lower, Reiser said.
Each of the food trucks will have a sign with a QR code that attendees can use to select their favorite food truck. Winners will be announced at the end of the day and receive a cash prize or may opt for a guarantee admittance to the 2026 rally.
Adult beverage offerings are expanding to include seltzers, Reiser said. They will be added to the craft beer and other offerings provided by West Chester Twp.-based Ohio Eagle Distributing.
Each year the rally takes in between $130,000 and $150,000. After expenses, between $20,000 and $30,000 is set aside to award grants to smaller, non-profits. Seed money is also set aside for the following year’s event. The rest is awarded to a single non-profit selected from a pool of applicants.
Lakota Robotics 1038 has been selected as this year’s main beneficiary of the rally. The group is a team of 60 students enrolled in 11 school districts – most from Lakota. Each year the team designs, builds and programs a robot to compete internationally.
The group also has a charitable aspect: helping girl scouts earn STEM badges, teaching robotics workshops at the Boys and Girls Club of West Chester/Liberty, mentor elementary school Lego robotics teams and giving demonstrations at community events.
“This is an amazing group of young people who give back to the community,” Reiser said. “They are innovators and our future entrepreneurs, engineers and leaders.”
HOW TO GO
What: Food Truck Rally
When: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. June 6
Where: The Square @ Union Centre, 9285 Centre Pointe Drive, West Chester Twp.
More info: ucbma.com/food-truck-rally
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