11th annual TruckTrek expands to showcase Palmyra businesses

TruckTrek: The Central PA Food Truck & Arts Fest is coming back to Palmyra for another year of food trucks and small business booths, but 2026 will see an expansion, with local businesses having special events and deals throughout the borough.

This will be the 11th year of the event, and dozens of food trucks will take over Cherry Street in front of Palmyra Area Middle School on Saturday, May 9, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Ralph Watts, owner of Comics & Paperbacks Plus in Palmyra and organizer of the broadened event, said he is pursuing this with TruckTrek organizer Kristine Warner’s blessing.

“I thought to myself, this is a waste of an opportunity for everybody else in town that’s a business,” Watts said. “We should take advantage of this. So what I decided to do is … encourage local businesses to go ahead and do special events that day, so it draws people after they’re eating the food or before they’re eating the food to go ahead and come into our businesses.”

He said he’s encouraging owners to contact him if they have an event planned on that day, and he’s promoting their flyers on Shop the Greater Palmyra, PA Area Facebook page.

On the day of TruckTrek, he and Brittany Haynes, owner of Book Bar, will have a tent and table set up to hand out information and encourage people to visit participating local businesses.

At Comics & Paperbacks Plus, for example, Watts will have paranormal writer Ed Kelemen in the store for a signing.

“What I’m encouraging people to do is come for the food and stay for the fun,” Watts said.

He said Palmyra has a lot to offer, and visitors coming from outside the borough to enjoy the food will be able to see that.

“I just think that Palmyra is the coolest place in the world. Palmyra’s my home, and I just want people to realize how cool a town it really is. I love it,” Watts said. “We have so much possibility in Palmyra, and I just want to go ahead and have people have a sense of pride.”

Beyond the business events, Bindnagle Evangelical Lutheran Church will be giving tours during the day, so visitors can experience Lebanon County’s history.

Community members will also encourage residents to take part in a town-wide yard sale day, where they can sell off some of their goods while pushing people to explore the area.

“I see all positive out of this,” Watts said. “I just want people to go ahead and stay in town a little bit longer.”