Hello everyone and welcome to the council update. I'm Phil Jentz, your communications manager and this month we are here with council member Justin Olsen. Justin, welcome. >> Thanks for having me, Phil. I'm excited to be here today. >> It's great to have you here. I know it's a beautiful day and you're busy, so we'll jump right in. And while we certainly want to keep enjoying the summer here in August, September is right around the corner and so is the annual Food Truck Festival. So Justin, for anyone who might not know, what is the Food Truck Festival? The Food Truck Festival is our signature event for Discover Cottage Grove, and we could not be more excited. This event occurs on Saturday, September the 13th. It starts at 11:00, runs until 6:00. We will have 30 plus food trucks this year. We'll also have live music, lots of other fun games, a beer garden, and so much more. So, I hope everybody comes out and has a great time. >> That sounds awesome. I personally can't wait to to head over there and and check it out. And so, besides the obvious, the headline, the food trucks, what else is there to do at this event? You mentioned some of it, so say a little bit more about all the other stuff there is to do there. >> Well, you know, last year we actually uh had a couple of live bands that we brought in. That's going to be a ton of fun. You'll get a chance to sit down, enjoy all of the various offerings of the food trucks that are there, enjoy some live music, stop and see our Cottage Grove Lions Club, uh have a a nice adult beverage, and basically just come out and have a bunch of fun. There'll be a lot of vendors that will be there. So, come on down, check out all the vendors, check out all the food trucks, make sure you get to enjoy some of the nice music, and come and say hello to me at the Lions Club tent. We would love that. So, out of all of that, Justin, I have to know, what's your favorite part of the food truck festivals? >> Well, if you look at me, the food is really my favorite part. And what's kind of special is every single year it seems like we get more and more diversity in the offerings. So, you'll have everything from uh egg roll queen and and Asian cuisine to um barbecue from our friends at Whiskey Creek Barbecue who comes every year. We'll also have everything in between, whether it's Italian food. Uh, last year we had some Polish perogis that I think will be back this year. So, anything you want, you can taste. >> Are we setting up any CS for people to just take a midday nap after all that? >> You know, Phil, that isn't something that we planned for, but maybe that's something we should consider for next year. >> Maybe next year. And there is something extra special about this year's food truck festival. So, what can you tell us about the big event happening that morning? >> We actually have a new event this year hosted by our Beyond the Yellow Ribbon team. Uh, and it is called a walk, run, ruck. This is a fundraiser for Mississippi River Valley Beyond the Yellow Ribbon. And it is our first time doing it. You have the opportunity to come and walk, run, or ruck a 5K, a 10K, or you can combine the two and do a 15K that morning. This fundraiser goes to support Mississippi River Valley Beyond the Yellow Ribbon and our local military families and veterans. So, we would encourage people to come on down and enjoy that morning at 9:00 a.m. the walk run ruck at Kingston Park. The cost ranges from $33 to $54 depending on which ruck you choose to do. And then upon completion, you'll be right there for the food truck festival. So you have the opportunity to treat yourself after that little bit of exercise you're going to do with some delicious treats from the various food truck vendors. So that's great. Walk a 10K and then get some barbecue, maybe some ice cream if you did the 15K or >> I would encourage you to try them all, but yes, absolutely. Treat yourself for sure. >> What a great combination. A little exercise, support the yellow ribbon, beyond the yellow ribbon, and then some food. Um well that is uh that's quite the awesome day full of of great activities, great food and so on. So once again, Council Member Olsen, can you give us the details on the food truck festival? >> I certainly can. Again, this is at Kingston Park on September 13th. It will run from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. And you can definitely learn more if you're interested at our Discover Cottage Grove website or on our social media Facebook page. And I hope to see as many people there as possible. It's going to be a wonderful day. Show up early at 9:00 for the walk, run, or ruck. Do the 5K, the 10K, the 15K if you so choose, and then treat yourself with some really great treats from all the various food truck vendors. Come and enjoy some terrific live music, stop by the Lion's Tent, say hello to me, uh get yourself an adult beverage, and just come out and have a great day with your family. >> That is really great, and it's really exciting event, and can't wait for it. So, thank you again uh for joining us uh Council Member Olsen. And that is it for this month's council update. If you'd like to learn more about the city, please visit our website or find us on social media and we would love to hear from you. Thanks everyone.