Trinity United Church of Christ (UCC), 2340 State St., East Petersburg, will host its annual Friendship Fest on Sunday, July 16, from 4 to 7 p.m. The free event will feature several food trucks, live entertainment, activities for children and safety demonstrations.

Meals and desserts will be available to purchase from food trucks such as Stoney's Burgers and Fries, Tri-County BBQ, TJ's Ice Cream and Dutch Country Hand-Rolled Soft Pretzels.

Local music group Auscultation Brass will perform at Trinity UCC from 5 to 6 p.m. The concert is free to attend, but the group will accept donations. The live entertainment will also include routines from magician Eric Vera, and a bounce house will be available to children.

The East Petersburg Fire Company will be in attendance at Friendship Fest, and Peace of Mind Protection Company will offer fire safety demonstrations and educate kids on methods of escaping a house fire.

The tradition of hosting an annual Friendship Fest at Trinity UCC began almost 20 years ago, although the church stopped organizing the event as of 2012. When the current pastor of Trinity UCC, Chris Rankin, arrived shortly after, he suggested reviving the tradition. The church began to organize Friendship Fest again in 2014, and it was held on the third Sunday in July to coincide with National Ice Cream Day. The church served free ice cream and hot dogs to the community, and the festivities incorporated family-friendly entertainment and a collection of canned goods for local food banks.

After taking another hiatus from hosting Friendship Fest due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the church encountered issues finding enough volunteers to continue operating it. Rankin decided to change the event to revolve around food trucks, lessening the demand for people to work the stands. Rankin also wanted to utilize the event to generate support for Trinity UMC's preschool, which was still facing challenges related to the pandemic. The funds raised from Friendship Fest will directly assist the preschool with its operating expenses and will also play a role in keeping the cost of tuition from rising.

Since returning in 2021, Friendship Fest continued to expand and added new attractions, such as face painting, the concert and the magic show. The community has showed its support for the return of the Friendship Fest by ensuring that each year's event has been well attended. "It's a way for us to connect with our neighbors and share with them about our preschool and church," Rankin said. "It's also a great way for the preschool families to get together over the summer while school is out."

For more information, visit http://www.trinityeastpete.org.