The first of what is likely to become a biannual event was held Monday evening, as the Des Moines Area Community College VanKirk Career Academy in Perry hosted “Tacopalooza.”

The celebration was held on the south side of the center along Otley Avenue, and featured tacos from three different taco trucks in the area: El Sabor, El Tren, and Taqueria Villa. Many people from in and around the community were in attendance, including DMACC students and staff who got a discount on their tacos. Eddie Diaz, Director of the Perry DMACC center, said he was pleasantly surprised by the turnout for the event. Diaz said the idea began as providing food for a meeting, and the end result was something he couldn’t have forseen. “It started off, I just needed to feed my staff! And I contacted one of the vendors, and then it snowballed into ‘Tacopalooza 2019.’ And then we invited the local school district and community members, and eventually it was just open to the public. So it started out small, and we’re hoping to do it again in May!”

Diaz believes the event will continue to grow as word of it spreads, and he anticipates a “Tacopalooza” will be held twice a year in the spring and fall. As an added wrinkle for the festivities, attendees were able to vote for who had the best offerings, with the winner earning the distinction of “Best Tacos in Perry.” The victor will be announced later this week, after Diaz has a chance to tally all the votes, and will receive a custom trophy made by Jim VonBehren.