The Buffalo Trace Firefighters Association is hosting its first-ever ‘Food Truck Festival’ fundraising event.

Maysville Fire Department’s Assistant Fire Chief Kyle Carpenter said the event will be held on Friday, April 28 through Saturday, April 29.

“We’re going to have local food truck vendors and some from as far away as Cincinnati. It should be a good time and a way we can all get together and enjoy spring and the first event of the year,” Carpenter said.

All proceeds will go to support BTFA and the six counties (Mason, Fleming, Lewis, Bracken, Robertson and Bath) the organization represents, according to Carpenter.

“The reason we’re doing this fundraising event… Right now I’m the vice president of the KFA (Kentucky Firefighters Association) and with my presidency coming up in 2025 our annual conference will be here in Maysville,” he said.

Carpenter explained the conference is normally held in bigger cities such as Louisville and Lexington.

“It’s kind of a big deal for Maysville to have the conference here, we’ll be one of the smallest cities to ever hold the conference. It’ll be at the end July or beginning of August in 2025, more than 300 firefighters from all over Kentucky will be coming here, the money we raise from these fundraising events will go to things like this or to other programs like the free fire school we have in October where students can receive 20 hours of free training. We’re the only ones with a free fire school left in the state,” he said.

Carpenter explained the importance of the KFA conference, where those in the organization work toward legislation which may affect or involve any of the departments the BTFA represents. Some issues may be taxation of the firefighters, benefits they receive or benefits they need to receive such as mental health support.

“This event is more than just a fundraising event for BTFA though — it’s a community event, it’s for people to come together downtown and enjoy fellowship. So we encourage everybody to come down and enjoy some music, cold drinks and good food,” he said.

The ‘Food Truck Festival’ will be taking place in downtown Maysville in the middle of Market Street, with a stage set up and local bands scheduled to play each night, said Carpenter.

“On Friday night (April 28) the band will start playing around 7 p.m. (food trucks will be set up by 5 p.m.) and Burning Rome which is a band popular in Augusta will be playing. Then Saturday night (April 29) Rebel Sound Club from across the river will be playing. The food trucks will be opening around lunchtime on Saturday and will be open all day until the event closes,” he said.

Carpenter said they currently have six food trucks signed up including Rescue Barbeque, Lil’ Jumbo’s which will be featuring brick-oven pizza and Funnel of Luv from Cincinnati among others (there’s still space for two more food trucks).

Though this event will be the first food-truck festival event Carpenter said he thinks it will do well and hopes it will become a yearly event which will grow and get bigger each year.

“I think people are ready to be outside, winter’s over and spring is in the air and we all want to be hanging out and we want people to come and enjoy downtown Maysville — not just the event but also all of the little shops and stores too,” he said.

For more information or to make donations call Kyle Carpenter at 606-407-0134.