While working the Seymour Oktoberfest information booth last year, Shawn Malone said the No. 1 question he was asked by festivalgoers was "Where’s the walking taco stand?"
The popular taco salad in a bag was offered by T.J. Haus and was a staple at the festival up until two years ago.
That demand got Malone’s wheels turning.
The festival committee had approached him in the past about setting up as a vendor during Oktoberfest, but they wouldn’t let him sell what he’s known for — The Brooklyn Pizza Co. — since several pizza vendors already are established at the event.
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Instead, they asked if he would consider selling craft sodas to replace another vendor that had dropped out of the Oktoberfest — Wild Bill’s Olde Fashioned Soda. Besides Brooklyn Pizza, Malone also is the owner of The Seymour Brewing Co., making craft beer.
Malone agreed, but only if he could bring back the walking tacos, too. The deal was made, and Malone will introduce Seymour Suds to the masses today at the Oktoberfest.
The Seymour Suds truck, located on West Second Street in front of Aveda Salon, will be open for business starting at 11 a.m. and will serve until 11 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday. They will offer craft root beer and a Purple Pride blue raspberry soda. All drinks are $5 and come in a commemorative Seymour Suds plastic mug.
Walking tacos also will sell for $5 and include lettuce, shredded cheese and taco meat over corn chips with the option to add salsa and sour cream.
Malone originally purchased Artistic Impressions’ Oktoberfest trailer to set up at the festival, but it required too much work in the short amount of time he had to get it ready.
So he turned to friends Toby and Tiffani Calhoun, who had just completed their new Junkyard BBQ and Ice Cream food truck. The couple agreed to let Malone borrow the truck for the Oktoberfest, and in turn, Malone said he would sell their root beer flavored ice cream and vanilla ice cream for floats.
"I wanted to help them out, too," Malone said of Junkyard BBQ and Ice Cream. "I really just want to help promote small businesses."
He also hired Seymour High School’s Owl Manufacturing to design and create a vinyl logo for Seymour Suds to put on the truck.
"Everything that people bring out of this truck this weekend will be homemade besides the Fritos in the walking tacos," he said. "We’re really offering a complete local flavor out of this truck."
He also was invited this year to put a couple of Seymour Brewing Co. beers on tap at the biergarten. And for the second year, he is offering a Kegs and Eggs event after the Oktoberfest 5K on Saturday morning.
That’s what Malone loves most about the Oktoberfest, that local small businesses and nonprofit groups have the opportunity to get their names out to the public and share their products with the community and out-of-town visitors.
"We’re trying to embrace everything about the Oktoberfest," he said. "And in doing that, the Oktoberfest embraced us."
Malone said he also enjoys all of the food offered at Oktoberfest, especially the sati babis.
"It’s a German festival, but I always get those," he said of the marinated meat on a stick.
And it wouldn’t be Oktoberfest without a stop at the Star Promenaders booth.
"Sausage, egg, cheese and sauerkraut? You can’t go wrong," he said.
Some of his best memories of the Oktoberfest , however, don’t involve food. They revolve around family.
"I can remember walking around the Oktoberfest with my uncles, who I adore, and getting some kind of little lizard on a metal wire thing," he said. "You remember those? They were foam and they would walk. That’s one of my earliest memories and one of my fondest memories."