Food Vendors Get Creative at Independence Day Festivals

Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County - At the Kirby Park Fourth of July Celebration, Ron Farley of Dave's Gyros smiled,"America loves America. We love celebrating." And it seems Americans love any excuse to indulge.

People at the festival were enjoying lots of their favorite typical fair fare. They savored things like funnel cakes, gyros, and cotton candy.

There were traditional ice cold drinks to wash it all down. Gabe Bell of Mr. P's Potato Pancakes smiled, "It's pretty awesome because it is fresh squeezed lemonade. It's good."

These days vendors are getting more creative. Tim Englert of Coco Bongos of New York said,"Do something different. That's the name of the business I get, to try and get business."

The deep fryer is a favorite place to experiment. Jared Gollhardt sampled a deep fried twinkie and said,"It takes all of the awesomeness of a regular  twinkie and puts more breading and more sugar and it's just really good."

There were some healthier alternatives like frozen banans. Tony Griffiths of Uncle Tony's Concessions said,"It's actually healthy. It's better than ice cream because the banana doesn't melt and it stays firm."

There were also pickles on sticks. Lee Levi of Around the Table Catering said,"Everybody wants one when they see it. It's amazing."

There was a food truck called Rig selling Restaurant style food with flavors from all across the country. There were things like Southwest eggrolls and fresh prime rib.

Celebrating freedom at a classic American festival with classic and new American flavors.