Local food truck vendors serving the community despite extreme heat

HICKMAN, Neb. (KLKN) — Food trucks and rising temperatures are sweeping through Hickman on Saturday, but not everyone is letting it get to them.

“We do have AC but once you get all the grills and everything going, it really doesn’t make much of a difference,” said George Kazas, owner of The Parthenon.

Hickman Hay Days festival kicked off despite the sweltering temperatures.

And in the confined space of a food truck, those temps can get overwhelming pretty fast.

Kazas said there’s not a lot you can do during the extreme heat.

“Just got to stay hydrated, plenty of water, that’s really about all you can do,” he said. “Move some air in here, have fans going but whatever it is out there, it’s at least 10-20 degrees hotter inside these food trucks.”

Despite these conditions, hundreds of people came out to show support.

One family said they’re pushing through because of the positive reactions they get from their customers.

“Obviously I’m sweating. I sweat pretty easily but it’s excessive today,” Nassir said. “But we’re still out here, talking to all the people coming by. It’s nice, the people are nice so that’s all you can ask for. I see smiles and people that are hungry.”

Kaia, who works with Lemonade Lab, explained how they have to get creative to not overheat.

“We don’t have air conditioning in our trailer so we have a lot of fans going in here, we have all the windows and doors open so we can get a nice airflow,” she said. “Staying hydrated, we obviously have a lot of drinks to keep us hydrated throughout the day but water of course too. Usually, that’s our trick, keeps us pretty cool during the hot weather.”

And after the days over, Nassir is planning a nice cool down.

“I’m going to have to go to cryotherapy. I think that’s what I’m going to have to do after this,” he said.