by Malcolm Butler
Lincoln Parish residents will soon have another place to eat as the North Village Food Trucks park will be opening sometime in early September, according to Joey Lopez.
Owner of Lola’s Teriyaki and project manager over the food park, Lopez said he anticipates opening Labor Day Weekend. And he believes the food truck park combined with renovated playground and added entertainment space will provide for a family-friendly atmosphere.
“That’s the biggest thing for us is the kids,” said Lopez. “We want a safe and friendly environment for the kids. Now that I am a father, I want my kids to be safe and have a good time too. If the kids are happy, the parents are happy.”
Another in the long line of Karl Malone Properties, the North Village Food Truck park is located along East Kentucky Avenue adjacent to the North Village Apartments as well as Black Rifle Coffee Company, 5.11 by Karl Malone, Eskimo’s Frozen Custard & More, and North Village Events Venue.
According to Lopez, the food truck park will consist of eight food vendors. Currently, there are three confirmed vendors in Lola’s Teriyaki, Big Boys Bar-B-Que, and Jay’s Wings and Things, and 10 more that have shown interest.
“Mr. Karl (Malone) and I talked about it probably a year and a half ago,” said Lopez. “When I first started working at Teriyaki Grill … it was my first love. Covid put a damper on things. A few years later we brainstormed and talked about a food trailer. We tossed a couple of ideas around.
“We got our first trailer and we also had Jon (Bonner’s) trailer, and it was just going to be the two of us. But Mr. Karl suggested we do an entire food truck park. I was nervous about it at first, but also excited about it. I knew it would be great for families and kids and that it would be an attraction.”
Lopez said once he was given the green light, he designed what he felt would be a perfect fit for the footprint of the land.
A covered pavilion will include tables that Lopez said he believes it will sit approximately 80 to 100 customers.
The North Village Food Truck park will also include entertainment value. On the back side of the food truck park is an existing playground that was built a few years ago and that has recently been renovated and upgraded to better suit the foot traffic.
“We came up with the idea of using rubber mulch because it wasn’t draining correctly. It was flooding,” said Lopez. “So we put new drains in. Put new felt down. Mulched it again. Now after it rains, the kids can still come play.”
On the front side of the food truck park closest to East Kentucky Avenue there will be an area for games and other forms of entertainment.
“We are going to have cornhole, horse shoes, picnic tables, and movie nights and game nights,” said Lopez. “We have a big inflatable screen for movie nights and football nights. Karaoke. We are going to try to do a little bit of everything.”
Another aspect of the area is the North Village Event Venue located adjacent to Eskimo’s Frozen Custard & More. The space can be utilized for birthday parties, baby showers, business meetings, and other such events. For more information on renting the space, individuals can contact Kadee Malone at 318-497-3602.
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