June 4 Summer Kickoff & Food Truck Festival Raising the Bar with Even More for Little Ones
By Julie Perine on May 13, 2022
Since beginning in 2018, the ABB Summer Kickoff & Food Truck Festival has been a family-friendly event. This year's June 4 kickoff will again feature a giant sandbox, water gun action, face painting, bubble machine, balloon artist and many other activities particularly enticing to kids.
But in 2022, the bar has been raised with an entire Kids Zone in the Benedum Civic Center area. Bridgeport Parks and Recreation Coordinator Amy Callahan said the area will feature an all-in-one obstacle course with a slide for older children.
"There will also be an inflatable for the kids 5 and under, as well," she said.
"Spinning tunes" will be 8-year-old Benton Hoskinson, known in the DJ world as "BHos." The Johnson Elementary second grader has gained fame in the past year with gigs including the Liberty High School homecoming and prom, as well as the Jewel City Church Father-Daughter Dance and Lumberport Elementary Fur Ball Fundraiser for the Humane Society of Harrison County.
When asked about his interest in playing for Summer Kickoff, Benton said, "Yeah. It sounds like a big opportunity for me."
By public vote, BHos was named DJ of the Year in the recent West Virginia News Best of Harrison County awards. He plays a variety of tunes, genres and artists to suit the crowd and event.
He is the son of Alex and Alana Hoskinson of Bridgeport.
The June 4 Summer Kickoff & Food Truck Festival will take place 5-8 p.m. on Bridgeport's Main Street. The featured band is once again, Eighties Enough, located on the main stage at the corner of Main and Center streets. Several local vocalists will be providing entertainment across Main Street, where ABB member businesses will have tents set up with activities and summer surprises.
A main attraction will be the food trucks set up across Main Street with offerings ranging from hoagies and sandwiches to barbeque, donuts and cold summer treats.
Brad Ford will once again serve as emcee, announcing guests and events, including an interactive trivia contest. The main stage will also feature a 6 p.m. hotdog eating contest, courtesy of T&L Hotdogs and the announcement of the latest wave of winners in the "Change Your State" weight loss challenge.
A car show will once again be part of the kickoff event with cars lined up on the western portion of Main Street. The street will be closed to traffic 4:30-8:30 p.m. that evening.
Stay tuned to Connect-Bridgeport for more details about the upcoming event, which has already become a favorite of Bridgeport area residents.
Summer Kickoff and Food Truck Festival is hosted by the Associated Businesses of Bridgeport in collaboration with the City of Bridgeport and Bridgeport Parks and Recreation.
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