JACKSON, Wyo. — Food trucks are back for the summer!
Grazing Rights, which touts itself as “free-range dining,” is returning on Monday, July 6, with food trucks in Mike Yokel Park after the kick-off event was canceled due to inclement weather. From 5 to 8 p.m., the public is welcome to dine al fresco with choices from rotating food trucks, Jackson Drug’s ice cream truck, and adult beverages from Bar SIP Bar. The series will take place every Monday through Aug. 17.
“This is going to be the best year for the series yet,” Grazing Rights organizer Matt Donovan told Buckrail in a text message. “Mike Yokel Park is an ideal setup. I love May Park but it’s a blank slate. Yokel has so many elements complementary to this event — the incredible new playground, volleyball court, horseshoe pits, pavilion, shade, the stream. It’s all very inviting.”
With limited parking available at Mike Yokel, residents are encouraged to ride their bikes. This summer, the Teton County Library book bike will also be in attendance. The book bike offers free books to community members. In past years, Grazing Rights has teamed up with Friends of Pathways and Slow Food in the Tetons on various fundraisers and initiatives.
Donovan began the food truck series in the summer of 2022 as an alternative to busy downtown restaurants. During the first season, food truck events took place in May Park — “Mondays in May” — and on Thursdays at Munger View Park. The organization’s Instagram account states: “Grazing Rights is a series of events in public parks hosting food trucks to serve local residents in Jackson and Teton County during peak tourism.”
In 2023, when the number of venues and food trucks expanded, Grazing Rights posted to social media, “Disclaimer: Patrons subject to free-range, high efficiency dining at reasonable prices.” Last summer, Donovan planned a full slate of food trucks and activities to take place in Mike Yokel Park. However, the series ended up spending the season at its original home in May Park due to playground construction at Mike Yokel.
“I’m genuinely thrilled that Grazing Rights is still being supported, evolving, and thriving,” Donovan said. “It’s five years in, nearing 100 individual events across half a dozen parks, with somewhere around 12,000 to 15,000 meals served. And those are staggering numbers, but my motivation lies in the magic behind those metrics. It’s engineering an opportunity to spend time with your favorite people, watch your kids run around while you relax, support and bolster appreciative local businesses, and take a step back and exhale.”
Bon appetit!
