'Food Truck Rodeo' On Tap For Pittsfield Downtown

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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Kathy Lloyd of How We Roll is organizing the city of Pittsfield's first Food Truck Rodeo.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Food. Beer. Music. Children's games. Giving to charity.

What more do you need for a good ole' fashioned Food Truck Rodeo?

Next month, the city will host its first Food Truck Rodeo, an event showcasing area food trucks, local breweries, a local band and children's games. The event on Sunday, May 4, will give the proceeds to Moments House.

"It's the first one in Pittsfield. We went to a few food truck rodeos in other places and they are a huge blast," said organizer Kathy Lloyd, who operates the local How We Roll food truck.

Starting at 11 a.m., five food trucks will open their doors at Palace Park on North Street. Beer will be served by local breweries Wandering Star and Big Elm. At noon, the Jill Gallagher Band will take the stage.

"These are all our food truck buddies that we've met at festivals," Lloyd said. "We're all very food passionate."

How We Roll has a focus on comfort food using local and organic ingredients and wrapping them in egg rolls. Black Forest Flammkuchen, from New York's Hudson Valley carries a wood, fire-brick oven around for pizzas. Chanterelle, from Northampton features a wide menu of items made form local and organic products. Gunther's Sausage Wagon of West Stockbridge sells authentic German bratwurst. Aurora's Gypsy Cafe of Danbury, Conn., features cuisine from all over the world.



Meanwhile, craft brewers Wandering Star and Big Elm will featuring some of their award-winning brews.

Admission to the event is free, but the booze and food will cost money.

"All of the food is for sale; otherwise, we would have to charge admission," Lloyd said.

Each vendor is paying a fee to be part of the event. After covering the expenses to put it on, the rest of the funds will go to Moments House.

"We really like what they do and who they do it for," Lloyd said of the Moments House, which helps patients and families who are coping with cancer. "It's just such a great resource."


Tags: cancer support,   food truck,   fundraiser,   

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WWII Veteran Reflects on D-Day at VFW Post Induction

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

The members in the picture are Bret Miller, Coast Guard, Desert Storm; Hank Morris, Army, Vietnam; Brad Havill, Navy, Global War on Terror; VFW Post 448 Vice Cmdr. Mark Pompi, Army, Global War on Terrorism, Afghanistan; Post Cmdr. Arnold Perras, Korea; Joe Difillipo, Army, Vietnam; Teri Billington, Navy, Desert Storm; and Carmen Ostrander, Air Force, Afghanistan.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Anthony Salatino Jr. says his memory is getting a little foggy about his time in the Army. 

But he remembers how terrible D-Day was, and feeling lucky he wasn't among those in the initial invasion force 82 years ago. 
 
"One of the most horrible things was in Normandy. We went shortly after D-Day. I got lucky, very lucky on D-Day. We went to a staging area the night before … and at the very end, somebody called, I was in headquarters, they called all the headquarters personnel at the center," the 103-year-old said. "We did not go. There's about 30 of us. The rest of the battalion was gone, and the reason for that was because there was another battalion coming from the States, and they had no headquarters. 
 
"We stayed back, but we did go to Normandy shortly after that, and when we went to Normandy, it was all over."
 
Salatino was attending an induction ceremony on Thursday at the Lt. John N. Truden VFW Post 448. Joseph Texidor, who served in the Army for 17 years with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, was sworn in as the post's newest member. 
 
Salatino served in the Medical Corps and wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, a World War I veteran wounded at Verdun. Salatino was in the Army for about three years.
 
"The whole memory is what I just told you, very, very alive to me," he said. "That is, I can never forget, never forget that."
 
D-Day on June 6, 1944, was the start of Operation Overlord, and the largest invading force to cross the English Channel since 1066. Their goal: to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany. 
 
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