From Throwdown To Showdown
By: Noah Frank
Great, cheap, local food on dollar beer night. When the Grizzlies and Fresno “Blogfather” Mike Oz came together to hatch the idea for the inaugural Taco Truck Throwdown, the idea seemed like such a no-brainer that it was hard to imagine that nobody had done anything like it before in a venue like the ballpark. A celebration of local food and culture, it was a chance for Central Valley residents to come together to support their favorite roadside eatery, try some new ones on for size, and cast their vote. While the concept seemed like it would resonate with local residents, it is safe to say that none of us had any idea it would be as popular as it turned out.
The left field concourse was buzzing all game long for the inaugural Taco Truck Throwdown (fresnotacos.com)
Now the Taco Truck Throwdown has been nominated in the “Miscellaneous” category along with nine other promotions for Minor League Baseball Promotion of the Year! If the Throwdown wins this round of voting, it will go on to become a finalist for overall MiLB Promo of the Year, so we need your help. Vote up to 25 times here between now and October 13th and help the Grizzlies, the City of Fresno, and the Central Valley get recognized for this great event.
In case you missed out, here’s a little background on how the Throwdown went down. After an extensive search of the Valley, seven local trucks from Fresno, Fowler, Madera and Sanger were invited to Chukchansi Park to take place in the competition, which took place on the final Thirsty Thursday of the season. The buzz surrounding the event picked up as it got closer, generating stories throughout the Fresno media. The local ABC, NBC and FOX affiliates, as well as local radio and a whole smattering of local blogs previewed the event. With the news out on the Throwdown, a stunning crowd of 10,287 swarmed the concourse from the moment gates opened to the general public at 6:05, all the way until 20 minutes after the game had ended.
For more of the details on the trucks involved and the insane number of tacos sold that night, check out fresnotacos.com, the website created to provide more information about the event. You can also find the winners of the voting, as well as a fantastic photo album from the event.
Thanks again to our great fans for helping make the inaugural Taco Truck Throwdown such a success! We’re looking forward to hosting more events like this at the ballpark in 2012. Vote now!
Yard Work 