They came by the thousands and waited in line in many cases for as long as two hours.
Traffic backed up for blocks stretching as far west as Union Road while parking around Woodward Park was borderline nightmarish.
It wasn’t the release of the latest high tech gadget or a free concert of a red hot rock group that brought what some organizers estimated at more than 6,000 people to Woodward Park over the course of five hours during Sunday. It was 16 food trucks.
 And while the food brought them there, that wasn’t the reason why people were enjoying the day necessarily.
Manteca Parks & Recreation Supervisor Brenda Clark said people were telling city staff that they were having a blast simply spending the time waiting chatting with neighbors, friends, and people they’d never met before.
The take-off on the old-fashioned chatting with neighbors on the front porch on a Sunday afternoon continued after people got their food and enjoyed it while lounging in lawn chairs and on blankets they brought with them. The picnic-style atmosphere was accented with bounce houses and other family-style activities including live entertainment provided by singer Jimmy Ashley.
“It got people out to enjoy the parks and other people,” Clark said of the first of seven Food Truck Mania events planned for Woodward Park on the second Sunday of every month from 3 to 8 p.m. The next one is set for Sunday, May 8, on Mother’s Day.
Clark said SactoFoMo (Sacramento Mobile Food) — an association of food truck entrepreneurs — said the Manteca attendance for a community-event outside of a festival is their largest yet eclipsing 2,500 that turned out in Lodi.  SactoFOMo organizers Sunday put the turnout at between 6,000 and 7,500.

Frozen tickets are
hot commodity
While the May Manteca Food Truck Mania promises to be even better given that it is deeper into spring weather and it’s on Mother’s Day, another Manteca Parks & Recreation event promises to be almost as hot.
Tickets for “Frozen” — the father-daughter dance planned for Saturday, May 14, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. — are selling fast.
Manteca Parks & Rec added the second staging of “Frozen” after all 300 tickets were sold more than a week before the first dance back in February. They had to turn away upwards of 150 ticket requests the week leading up to the dance that includes dinner, dessert and dancing as well as touches such as visits from princesses. There are even optional photo packages.
Clark said when tickets are sold out, that’s it. There is no guarantee tickets will be available at the door or even the week prior due to the high demand.
The evening is designed for fathers, uncles and grandfathers to accompany girls ages 3 to 14 on a date.
The event staged by the Manteca Youth Advisory Commission is $30 per couple through April 29. Each additional girl is $5.  Tickets, if still available after April 29, go up to $40 per couple and $8 for each additional girl.
More information is available by going to www.mantecagov.com/parks or calling 209.456.8600.

Manteca talent show
coming up April 23
Also growing in popularity is the annual Got Talent? event. Clark said organizers are encouraging those that want to compete for “great prizes and bragging rights” to contact Parks & Rec by this Friday.
It is open to competitors age 5 through 21. Those entering can be singers, dancers, musicians, bands, comics, magicians, and other talented youth, teens or young adults. All performers must attend a mandatory tryout session on Tuesday, April 19, from 5 to 7 p.m. Clark said it is to make sure that everyone has a prepared performance for the actual talent show.
The talent show itself is on Saturday, April 23, starting at 11 a.m. at the Manteca Senior Center, 295 Cherry Lane.
Advance spectator tickets to the event  being staged by the Manteca Youth Commission in conjunction with GK Music are $5 through April 22, at the Parks & Rec office or the senior center. Tickets are $8 at the door. The city accepts cash or check only.
More information is available by going to www.mantecagov.com/parks or calling 209.456.8600.