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10 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2017 CITY LIFE WATERLOO CHRONICLEWATERLOO CHRONICLE AROUND TOWN By Bob vrbanac Chronicle Sta� There are many ways for a church con-gregation to break bread, but who'd have thought food trucks would be one of the most popular ones? Th at's what Parkminster United Church found out last year when it hosted Erb strEAT Eats at 275 Erb St. W., in Waterloo. Th e event brought from between 400 to 500 people out every Wednesday night to share in the food experiments put together by upwards of 10 local food trucks. More importantly, it created a little bit of community as neighbours came out of their homes to share in a little camaraderie and during the evening while people from all over the city stopped by for the favourite food truck fare. Th ey'll be doing it again for 20 weeks this spring and summer starting May 3 to Sept. 6, from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. "It was a no-brainer," said Joe Sheldon, who helped co-ordinate last year's event with his wife Jenny and other volunteer members from Parkminster's congregation. "We did it originally because we thought it would be a fun thing to do, but it's also helped our outreach and also brought our church members together. "It's also brought in our neighbours with 15 to 40 people walking in each week, so from a neighbourhood point of view it's been really good." Th e food trucks approached Parkminster United Church as the site for their Waterloo stop two years ago after successfully run- ning a similar event at Forest Hill United Church in Kitchener. The experiment was so successful they expanded to six nights this year with stops in Guelph and added stops in Kitchener at St. Luke's Lutheran Church on Franklin Avenue and Kitchener East Presbyterian on Lackner Boulevard. "We need a perfect storm for this event to work for us, and this one's a winner," said Sandor Dosman, operator of Fo' Cheezy Food Truck and the Food Truck Guru on Instagram who is co-ordinating the event on behalf of the food trucks. "We added some other churches with the success of that one." Sheldon said they reduced it down to a science with certain volunteers respon- sible for setup and others sticking around for cleanup. Th ey have lots of parking but added touches like picnic tables and blue bins to add to the friendly atmosphere. "We did a number of things to make it easier on them," said Sheldon, including using shade trees during the hot days. The retired engineer said he had no problems getting volunteers out as they really enjoyed the experience. "We saw a lot of familiar faces coming back on a week-to-week basis," said Shel- don. � ey also attracted food truck followers -- those people who have personal favou- rites and follow them around from place to place. Parkminster has helped those camp followers out by including a calendar on the church's website and listing out which food trucks will be by on a weekly basis. You can find that at www.parkuc.ca/food-trucks- are-back/. "We had this one lady who followed Fo' Cheezy," said Sheldon. "She said she's got to tell her friend said she would be right over. "She texted her and sure enough the lady came with her whole family." So whether it was Fo' Cheezy, Beaver- tails, the Schmuck Truck or Ish & Chips -- they all seemed to have a following. "Th e food trucks loved it," said Sheldon. "Th ey were really happy." Dosman was really appreciative of the volunteers, and said it's helping a food truck culture in town. "Trucks like to operate together," said Dosman, who also made sure they had the proper city permits and licenses to operate. "We all work together, we're all friends, and it helps us to cross-promote. "It's a lot of work and a lot of fun." The food trucks also give back to the churches through donations, and the churches have also found out other bene� ts have fl owed out from the relationship. For instance, Parkminster has been able to relaunch a preschool program after reconnecting with their neighbours. "For most churches we enjoy breaking bread," said Sheldon. "Our church does that a lot, and it just happened to connect with the community." Food truck � ock Parkminister United hosting second season of popular food truck stop Ish & Chips is just one of the food trucks that will help kick off the second season of Erb strEAT Eats at Parkminister United Church, at 275 Erb St. W., starting May 3. SUBMITTED PHOTO Final Fridays event set for April 28 � e next Final Fridays event is set for uptown Water- loo, April 28, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Final Fridays showcases art, culture, and cuisine of uptown Waterloo on the last Friday of each month. Activities and events include exhibit openings, perfor- mances, community art, demonstrations, artist talks and readings, as well as dinner, drinks and specials at restaurants. With so many activities, you"ll never have a reason to leave uptown. For more information, visit www.waterloo.ca/Final- Fridays/. Expression 42 set for April 29 at KWAG Expressions 42: Spin, Twist, Shift is set for April 29, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the K-W Art Gallery, 101 Queen St., N. Kitchener. It's all about changing perspectives and re-thinking how to interpret what people see. Organizers want to encourage students to experi- ment with materials, processes and ideas. Expressions 42 will showcase artwork by Waterloo Region elementa- ry and secondary school students alongside a selection of art from the Gallery's Permanent Collection. Includ- ed in the exhibition will be artwork from the In|sight program created by students in collaboration with local artists during in-school residencies. KWAG is grateful for contributions from the Water- loo Region District School Board and the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, and for providing this opportunity to cultivate their students' imagination by exhibiting their artwork in a professional gallery setting. For more information, visit www.kwag.ca. Hand in Hand April 29 Th e UpTown Waterloo BIA's Hand in Hand program continues this week with Head to Toe, a wellness event hosted by Lillypad Health & Wellness in partnership with KW Pilates and All My Nails April 29, starting at 1 pm., at 22 King St. N. There will also be a Grow Your Yoga event being hosted by Moksha Yoga at 7 p.m. For more information, visit uptownwaterloobia.com. Call Ted Anderson 519-623-3050 ext. 232 or email tanderson@cambridgetimes.ca GO "MULTI-MEDIA" with Metroland Starting aS low aS $299 • target geographically using IP addresses • target behaviourally using consumer habits • target "on-the-fly, but close-by" with our fully mobile programs for phones, tablets and other devices ADvErTIsE yOUr MEssAGE On-LInE! 20,000 to1.2 million views or more annually