MONSON – The Monson Food Truck & Music Festival, a benefit for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, is set to return for a third year.

On Sept. 24, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., the community is welcome to visit Veterans Field for an all-day event filled with food, a beer and wine garden, music, entertainment and more.

Jean and Ken Bailey, Monson residents and owners of J.B.’s Mobile Cafe, are responsible for starting this event. While they have operated their food truck for nearly 35 years, the food truck festival was not created until 2019.

The Bailey’s chose Dana Farber and the Jimmy Fund, a charity made up of community-based fundraising events and programs that benefit the cancer institute, as the cause is near and dear to their hearts.

“I’m a cancer survivor,” said Ken. “[Dana Farber] saved my life.” He described the institution as “the cream of the cream.”

When Ken was diagnosed, Jean recalled that she contacted Dana Farber on a Tuesday and by that Friday, a team of about seven doctors was ready to meet with her husband to develop a plan for treatment.

To avoid the daily travel from Monson to Boston, Ken stayed at the “Hope Lodge,” which is a part of Dana Farber, for his seven-week chemo treatments. After going through their own journey, the Bailey’s said they met several other people in town and surrounding communities that have also gone to Dana Farber.

With the funds raised through the food truck festival and other fundraisers throughout the year, the Bailey’s donate directly to the cause. Ken said the funding is strictly for cancer research.

To raise money for Dana Farber and its supporting charity, the Monson Food Truck & Music Festival was born. During the first festival, Ken said they had “phenomenal” attendance with nearly 4,000 people. The festival did not take place in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic but returned in 2021. In the two years of hosting the event, Ken said they have raised a total of $40,000.

Encompassing about 20 food trucks, Ken said they have had to turn away some vendors as “everyone wants to be a part of it.”
This year’s food trucks include NomNom Hut, TC Scoops, the Taco Dude, Sturbridge Coffee, Main Street Tavern, Tony Valley Pizza, Roosters Roaming Cantina, Bird’s Nest, Creative Cakes, All Things Maple, Batch Ice Cream, The Grill, Salerno’s, Caribbean Eats, Off the Hook and Big T’s BBQ, to name a few.

Jean said that Veterans Field is an “open air venue” allowing for people to walk around with beer and wine. Some of the alcohol vendors include Exhibit A, Hardwick Winery and Leadfoot Brewery.
Aside from food and drink, there will also be vendors selling crafts, goods and offering a variety of activities. This includes Moonlit Forrest selling intention jars and candles; Antiques and Uniques; Geriations selling gnomes, pumpkins, towels; the making and selling of hula hoops, among others.

On the music front, a variety of bands will take the stage including Cooper Jones, Aquanett and James Montgomery, to name a few. Each band plays about an hour to an hour and a half set before switching off.

For the children’s entertainment, Jean said there will be a clown, magician, face painting and more.

At 3 p.m., the Lions Club will be putting on a “lucky duck race” in the stream behind Veterans Field. Jean explained that this fundraiser for the Lions Club consists of “adopting a duck” for $5 and letting them go. “They give our cause a monetary donation,” said Jean. Cash prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place winners.

With areas of attraction for the whole family, Ken said, “People stay all day.” Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs, as seating fills quickly.

Due to the size of the event and the extensive amount of planning involved, Jean and Ken have established a Monson Food Truck & Music Festival Committee. Alongside them, there are two other members, including Dot Jenkins, a tax collector in Monson and Brenda Binczewski, a realtor. Once the festival is over, Jean said that she starts planning for next year, beginning as early as October.

Ken told Reminder Publishing that “nobody makes one dime” off of the event. Jean added on to his point and said that most food vendors pay a fee to be a part of the festival and will often donate tips to the cause.

She went on to say that there will also be nonprofits attending the festival.

The cost to enter the Monson Food Truck & Music Festival is $5 for those 18 and up. Ken reiterated that all of the money goes directly to Dana Farber and the Jimmy Fund.

Jean recognized some of the “great sponsors” of the festival. This includes Monson Savings Bank, Levesque Trucking, the Fairfield Inn, Beth’s Family Restaurant, Adams IGA, along with a gift from the town – a startup donation from the Monson Select Board.
The food truck festival is advertised on Facebook and local radio stations. Jean said they also have an advertising book that will be available on July 25. This can be found in local businesses and restaurants.

Although the Monson Food Truck & Music Festival is the Bailey’s largest event of the year, they said they have their food truck booked for 33 events in 2022.

A recent fundraiser that the Monson Food Truck & Music Festival Committee took part in was with Main Street Tavern and Tony V Entertainment. On June 30, they all teamed up to raise money for Dana Farber and the Jimmy Fund. Jean explained that Kim and Dana, owners of Main Street Tavern, donated 10 percent of their sales between 5 and 9 p.m. directly to them.

As a part of this fundraiser, Jean said they sold tickets for a chance to win a tower of $1,000 in lottery tickets. The drawing will be made during the Monson Food Truck & Music Festival. Jean noted that they have already sold a lot of tickets and have raised over $2,000. With a few more months until the event, Ken predicted that the number will “go way higher” and fall between $6,000 and $7,000. The Bailey’s noted that all the money from the tower will go directly to Dana Farber and the Jimmy Fund as well. They will be selling tickets at Mug and Muffin in Monson on July 24.

“We want to help and hopefully find a cure,” concluded Ken.
For additional information on the Monson Food Truck & Music Festival, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MonsonFoodTruckFestival.