The City of Newburgh kicked off the Fourth of July festivities with the second annual Food Truck Festival hosted on Lower Broadway. Newburgh [NB] Pop Culture, Inc., under the direction of Sonya Grant, Ronnie Fisher and Marcus Simmons, returned once again as the host of the local festival.

As the afternoon went on, people enjoyed food and drinks from Antojitos on Wheels, Flavor Fruit Ice, Perfect Sweets, The Green Bowl, Andy Mexican Tacos and E & C Grill 43. People as far as Middletown, according to Grant, came to take part in this city festival. Since the first festival last summer, [NB] Pop Culture, Inc has achieved 501c)(3) and with their combined resources were able to focus on small business. At the festival, a free raffle drawing for small businesses would be rewarded with a $1,000 grant if they won.

For the second time around, the group has felt more prepared this time around and hopefully look to expand the reach of the festival. “When the City of Newburgh tells us they got the fireworks, that’s when the food truck festival is going to be,” said Grant. “We knew the process a little better. With three great minds alike, anything is possible,” said Simmons. “We’re just kind of working on building our name. It’s just gonna get bigger every year,” said Fisher. “Since we’re still new, and we’re still building this, as this gets bigger, then we have plans to branch off into other things.”

For the food trucks that may be out there, the group would like to connect with them and want them to come to Newburgh to take part in a positive and growing event. Empanada O’Nada, one of the several food trucks featured at the festival, was born in the midst of COVID after longtime city resident Maria Valentin lost her eight and a half year job at St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital.

Using her grandparents’ recipes for the food, Valentin and her partner Vincent Hill opened the business and have traveled to Monroe, Beacon, New Windsor and the Town of Newburgh and have been featured at other city events to serve their homemade food. Valentin’s son and daughter also helped man the counter and cook the food during the afternoon.

As a returner to the food truck lineup, Valentin was grateful for the opportunity to highlight her community and share her food. “It is the second year ,and I think each year we’ll be growing and this is for the community,” said Valentin. “So anything that has to do with the city, I’m going to be here supporting.” As a longtime resident, Valentin is aware of the stigma surrounding the city but she shared that if people didn’t come to the city; to the food festival happening that day, they would be missing out on being exposed to good food and diverse cultures. “This is a beautiful city,” said Valentin.

“I think the whole thing of festivals in general just brings all different types of cultures together. We have to continue to do these things for the community to bring everybody together,” said Valentin. “It does take a community to come together to support everybody.”

As the sun began to set, city residents gathered at the Hudson River and ended the Independence Day celebration with a fireworks display to close out the holiday.