Vance Doddridge knows the drill: Stock up on supplies, set up the tent, get the oil hot and hope Mother Nature cooperates.
Doddridge and his wife, Tina, who operate All Time Favorites, have set up shop at The Taste of Windsor, sponsored by The Greeley Tribune in partnership with the Town of Windsor, every year and, being Windsor residents themselves, enjoy seeing friends and acquaintances as they hawk funnel cakes, kettle corn, fried Oreos, roasted nuts and homemade root beer.
Lindsay Haines, event manager and marketing specialist for The Greeley Tribune, said concert-goers will have lots of sweet and savory choices at this year’s Taste of Windsor, scheduled from 4-8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 18, at Boardwalk Park, 100 N. 5th St. Headliner that evening will be the Colorado-based band The Drunken Hearts.
“We’ll have everything from shaved ice and smoothies to barbecue and everything and anything,” she said.
She said a limited number of non-food vendors will also be on hand selling wares or handing out information.
In addition to the Taste of Windsor, All Time Favorites sets up shop at all of Windsor’s summer concerts. This, he said, gives them an edge in getting set up and packing up.
“We know the lay of the land getting in and out and parking,” he said. And he always keeps an eye on the weather. “Rain and hot oil don’t mix.”
Doddridge joked that “We do the healthy stuff. We’ve been doing this long enough that we have a pretty good idea of the volume of product we need.”
The most popular items are the funnel cakes, he said. “That’s our bread and butter. Then kettle corn … and we sell a lot of homemade root beer.”
The Doddriges’ work about 80 events a year, including the Bolder Boulder and Fritzler’s Corn Maze.
Dunkin’ Donuts & Baskin Robbins of Windsor will also be on hand for the July 18 event.
“Thankfully we have the experience of the last couple years to know what to expect,” General Manager Stephanie Collier said.
Munchkins – donut holes in a cup – is their biggest seller.
“We make them that morning,” she said. “If we’re running low, we have the store right down the road and can make more.” They’ll also have a variety of donuts to choose from.
On the Baskin Robbins side, customers can enjoy polar pizza by the slice or scoops of ice cream.
Both vendors say huge crowds like that expected at The Taste of Windsor are no cause for concern.
“We just keep them in a good mood. It’s a great time out there with music playing,” Collier said.
Doddridge added that because his items are made to order, customers understand they need to wait an extra couple minutes.
So what makes the Taste of Windsor, now in its 10th year, so popular?
“It’s definitely family friendly and it’s outside during the warmest time of the year,” the Tribune’s Haines said. “People can bring chairs and blankets and try new foods and enjoy live music.”
