Ocoee's Food Truck Friday to feature arts, crafts market

In addition to other activities, visitors at Ocoee’s next Food Truck Friday and Movie in the Park event on June 20 will be able to peruse arts and crafts from local vendors.

The vendors will offer their wares at the new “Ocoee West Orange Market” at Bill Breeze Park, 125 N. Lakeshore Drive. The market, which will include a make-and-take kids’ crafts table, will run in conjunction with each Food Truck Friday and Movie in the Park event on the third Friday of the month.

This family-friendly occasion has taken place since September 2011. Recently, the city Parks and Recreation Department partnered with Ocoee resident Heather Zabriskie, owner of the event-planning business called Create Orlando, to set up and manage the arts and crafts market.

Zabriskie’s experience includes working with the UCF Arena, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Disney on Ice. Among other duties, her tasks as the Ocoee West Orange Market coordinator consist of inspecting art and craft vendor applications and screening the items they wish to sell.

As of June 9, seven vendors were approved for the upcoming market. Zabriskie said she was still accepting applications in hopes of reaching her goal of having 10 vendors by next week.

According to the market’s vendor guidelines, arts and crafts should be handmade or original items created by the artist. Preference is given to those who live in West Orange County, including Ocoee, Winter Garden, Apopka and surrounding areas.

The vendor fees are: $25 for a 10-by-10-foot space; $15 for a shared, 10-by-10-foot space; $10 for a 6-foot table; and $5 for a tray table. The fees are used to compensate Zabriskie for her work.

For a vendor application and more information, visit www.createorlando.com or contact Zabriskie at 407-399-2533 or [email protected].

In addition to the market — which will be open from 5-9 p.m. — the June 20 Food Truck Friday and Movie in the Park event will feature food trucks from 6-9 p.m., and the movie, “Frozen,” will be shown at 8:30 p.m. on an outdoor screen.

Also, local actor/storyteller Bill Cordell will share stories at 7 p.m., and people will be able to take free tours from 6-8 p.m. of the historic Withers-Maguire House, 16 E. Oakland Ave.

Like the market, having Cordell participate at the event was Zabriskie’s idea.

“I was looking to have a storyteller come out and entertain families while they’re eating out on the lawn,” she said. “I hope to have some form of entertainment at each event.”

This could include a local musician, band or even an exercise studio, the members of which would share what they do at their business.

Each Food Truck Friday and Movie in the Park event draws about 1,200 revelers.

“Hopefully, the market will draw even more people, as well,” Zabriskie said. “I hope that it has a positive impact on our local businesses and our community.”