Basic Facts
2007 Takoma Park Folk Festival Food Vendors
www.tpff.org ph: 301-589-0202 fax: 576-3939
PO Box 5869, Takoma Park, MD 20913

Date: Sunday, September 16, 2007. Rain or shine.

Location: Takoma Park Middle School, 7611 Piney Branch Road, Takoma Park

Contact information: Scott Gilkeson (Food Coordinator) 301-891-3938
   Kevin Adler (Festival Chairman) 301-270-2839

Food and Drink Selections:
  1. We will have no more than 20 food vendors with the widest variety and least overlap that we can, given the applications we receive.
  2. You may sell beverages such as fruit drinks, iced tea, soda, or spring water. Please note that the students of Takoma Park Middle School will be selling soft drinks and bottled water. We are planning to put them behind the school, away from the food vending area.
  3. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited.
  4. TPFF is environmentally friendly, and we recycle bottles and cans. Please do not use Styrofoam containers.
Booth set up rules:
  1. Set up begins at 8:00 a.m. and booths should be open for service at 11:00am. Please do not arrive earlier than 8 or later than 10:30.
  2. Your booth will be 10. on the front and 15 . 20. deep. If you need a larger space, tell us on the application and we will contact you to discuss your needs. We reserve the right to charge extra for additional frontage.
  3. You provide your own tables and all other equipment. You will be outside, rain or shine, on blacktop or grass.
  4. If you use a deep fryer, you must put a protective covering (such as cardboard) under the area of the fryer to protect the sidewalk, blacktop or grass from the grease.
Electricity:
  1. Please tell us on your application that you need electricity, and how much electricity you need. If you need more than 20 amps (or more than one outlet) we must know in advance.
  2. Please bring long (50. long) heavy-duty extension cords.
  3. You may bring a generator, but do not turn it on unless we cannot provide you electricity through connections to electrical outlets from the school.
Water and Ice:
  1. Water will be supplied through a hose on the loading dock or other locations.
  2. If you would be interested in ordering ice through us, let us know in advance. We purchase some ice for the festival, and would be glad to put in an order for you along with ours. Otherwise, you are responsible for bringing your own ice.
Grills:
  1. It is very important that we know if you are using a grill, since we must place all grills at least 25 feet away from the building for fire safety reasons.
Deep Fryers:
  1. Because most of the problems we have had in the past are related to used fryer oil, we will collect a $40 refundable deposit from anyone using a deep fryer. Your deposit will be collected when you arrive and returned at the end of the day, after you have cleaned your area and removed any oil. Your deposit can be cash or a check.
  2. We will coordinate a used oil collection at the end of the day again this year. If you wish, you can bring oil in a closed container to the collection point. The oil needs to be fairly clean to be usable; if your oil is dark or full of debris, we will not be able to accept it and you will need to take it with you.
Parking
  1. We will mail parking passes in August. You will not be able to enter the site without a parking pass.
  2. There will be parking for up to one vehicle with trailer or two vehicles per vendor on the site. Any additional vehicles need to be parked off-site.
County Health Rules:
  1. The Health Department requires that all food preparation be done on-site unless you have access to a kitchen approved by the Department. If your kitchen is outside Montgomery County, it still must be approved by the Montgomery County Health Department since your food will be vended in our County. If you have questions, call the Health Department at 240-777-3986. You will need to be set up at the Festival by 10:00 a.m. for the Health Department inspection. This is crucial to provide timely and adequate services to the Festival patrons and to maximize your profit.
Booth Housekeeping and Tear Down
  1. Please bring one large trash container to put next to your booth. Our volunteers will empty the trash container during the day.
  2. You may begin tear down at 6:00 p.m. You may move your vehicle at approximately 6:30 p.m. Do not start earlier because it is disruptive to people who are entering or leaving the Festival grounds.
  3. We have a central trash drop-off location, and you are responsible for getting your trash to that location or taking it out with you. Do not leave with trash still in your area.
  4. Please finish your tear-down by 8:00 p.m. so that the school custodial staff can clean the grounds.
  5. Please do everything you can to minimize grease spills. We have to pay extra money to a cleaning crew to power-wash all grease areas. Some or all of your deposit may be withheld if your area requires special cleanup.
  6. We will accept used cooking oil for recycling as fuel for automobiles. You may leave your oil in a closed plastic container at the collection site. Otherwise, you must take your used fryer oil with you. We have to pay for disposal of oil that is left in the trash or anywhere at the site. Some or all of your deposit may be withheld if you leave oil behind.
Call Scott Gilkeson at 301-891-3938 if you have questions.