Food Trucks A-Go had a soft open Nov. 13 marking its second holiday season. Vendors include Cameron Clan Snack Co. (CC Snack Co.) mobile stand, Shannon's Unshelled and Blazing Tomato. The food court at 798 Wiscasset Road has around 85,000 lights, up about 25,000 from last year.

CC Snack Co. and Food Trucks A-go owner Lester Spear said he was not going to open this year due to the pandemic, but everyone pulled together to make it happen. “Last year, we kind of last-minute threw this together because we just felt like there was a need for it, the outdoor 'fire, family, fun, friends and food,’ then we added lights to that.”

Now, Food Trucks A-Go is taking reservations to limit the number of people in the court and is taking online curbside orders. Spear said that will be a big help in keeping people properly distanced..

“It was really important to me to make sure all of these people could keep working, too. Between electrical contractors, landscaping, plumbing, carpenters and then all these trucks and the people who work in them, we wanted them to be able to have a safe place for people to go and buy from these vendors.”

Spear said he and his staff and the other vendors wanted a bigger event this year having anticipated a new facility would already be built. So, instead of moving a full-size ice palace, there will be one on-site at the future home of CC Snack Co.

“We're hoping if we can get some good weather to also extend the season further if everything is still going well in through January, still have some food trucks open, and have an ice palace for more outdoor activities.”

The new facility will house a cafe and space for Maine culinary and craft startups, for the community and for office space. The food truck court will also have enough room for one or two more trucks, which could be guest trucks, Spear said.

The three vendors in the court are joined by a fourth food truck, the Maine Menu, which will be opening any day as a taco truck. The taco truck concept is near and dear to Spear since watching one in New Haven, Connecticut change that area’s food truck scene and economy.

“I am a manufacturers rep and I travel all over New England and I was always looking for good food on the road … It was in this sort of rundown other-side-of-the-tracks kind of area. Now, there's 25 food trucks there, they repaved the entire waterfront and it's a park now. They've got road crossings and parking and benches and tables and lights.”

With the Boothbay Lights season soon to kick into high gear, Spear hopes people continue enjoying the food court, that weather will cooperate for an early ice palace and that both help bring visitors to the Boothbay region.

“We've got the golf course, the botanical gardens, we've got Bigelow Labs. We've got some great food venues here already … but I like that we have a few more options and I'm always excited to see who's going to be able to come in and what food I'm going to get to eat.”