New park, new food trucks. Find a fresh lunch in downtown Sumner every Wednesday
Sumner will join the parade of food truck events popping up around Pierce County this summer.
Find a truck in the parking lot at the south end of the revamped Heritage Park, 914 Kincaid Ave., every Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Order lunch, then enjoy at one of the new cafe tables.
The Sumner Main Street Association and the city of Sumner announced the recurring event in late May. The first date, May 27, brought Thai’m to Roll, a bright pink and blue truck serving fresh Thai salad rolls, crispy garlic chicken, pad Thai, garlicky green beans, panang curry and more rice and noodle dishes. The truck will return June 17.
This week, June 3, La Mezcla sets up shop with its signature tacos dorados — which the owners also call taquitos and flautas — plus loaded fries, “XL” street tacos and Baja-style fish tacos. The family-owned truck is based in Bonney Lake and has made stops at nearby venues including Top Down Brewing Co. and Ossman Harding Dental at Tehaleh. It will return June 24.
On June 10, Dawg Eat Dogs will serve its quarter-pound beef dogs (or sub a hot link, Polish or veggie dog) with various toppings. The $12 Dogzilla is a done-up Seattle dog, adding chili and bacon to the grilled onions and cream cheese. The $11 Tacoma features peanut butter and bacon, while the Devil is just chili and the American just onions. The menu also offers a Good Boy Burger. Each dog comes with a bag of chips or cookies and a soda or water.
Other trucks so far confirmed on the calendar include Bun & Press, which serves Cambodian-inspired sandwiches, on July 8 and Buddy’s Chicken & Waffles on July 22.
Here’s the confirmed schedule for the next few weeks, with more to be announced through August:
- June 3: La Mezcla
- June 10: Dawg Eat Dogs
- June 17: Thai’m to Roll
- June 24: La Mezcla
- July 1: Dawg Eat Dogs
- July 8: Bun & Press
- July 22: Buddy’s Chicken & Waffles
- July 29: Stacks Burgers
Heritage Park & Hops Alley summer
This summer will be the first warm season for the “woonerf” — a “plaza that can be set up for events and is pedestrian friendly,” as the city describes it on its website — that is the reimagined Knoblauch Heritage Park and Hops Alley.
Danielle Kavanaugh, events manager for the Sumner Main Street Association, described Food Truck Wednesdays and the upcoming Rhubarb Days festival (June 20-21) as “kind of like a little kickoff” of the new amenity.
“We are definitely celebrating the activation of both Heritage Park and Hops Alley,” she said in a phone call Monday.
Sumner embarked on a multi-year effort to “enhance the streets” around the existing Heritage Park, a triangular swath of land formed by Maple Street and Cherry and Kincaid avenues. After months of input from residents on the design, planners landed on the woonerf concept for the city’s “Main Street Visioning Plan.”
The first phase of the project involved updating the grassy area near the point of the triangle and converting a nondescript alley just south of Main Street, between Kincaid and Alder, into a lane with angled parking spots, thoughtful hardscaping and built-in seating areas. The idea is that it can serve as parking on a typical day and a pedestrian-only plaza during events. The city hosted a ribbon-cutting in February.
Subsequent phases will add a playground and a community building, according to plans. Cost estimates, excluding the building, landed around $8.13 million for the park and $1.58 million for Hops Alley, according to city documents on the master plan.
Some of the costs were funded through Pierce County Lodging Tax grants. The city received $110,000 in 2022, $1.6 million in 2024 (design) and $2.92 million in 2025 (construction).
Kavanaugh said their team hopes the recurring food truck event draws visitors on other days of the week and entices them to spend the afternoon exploring other local businesses downtown.
“We’re definitely excited to see it ramp up,” she said.
It’s shaping up to be a busy summer for food trucks in the region, as several cities and private businesses have set up recurring events for the sunny months. You can find food trucks on Tuesdays in downtown Tacoma, Thursdays at TAPCO’s main branch in the West End, and Fridays in Pacific.
Food Truck Wednesdays - Sumner
- Heritage Park (south end parking lot), 914 Kincaid Ave., Sumner
- Wednesdays 11 a.m.-3 p.m., June-August
- Details: rotating cast of food trucks for lunch, follow instagram.com/sumner_main_street for updates and streetfoodfinder.com