Food lovers may want to work up an appetite before the 2nd Annual Metter Food Truck Festival rounds up a number of vendors Saturday, Nov. 9 with food, antiques, crafts and more. The festival will be held in downtown Metter from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The festival may center around the food trucks (mobile restaurants offering all types of cuisine), but the event includes fun for everyone, said Victoria Gaitten, executive director for the Metter-Candler County Chamber of Commerce. The chamber is hosting the event for a second year after the first festival was so successful, she said. “We saw other communities were doing it, so we decide to give it a try.”

According to Internet website www.thebalancesmb.com, as of March this year, there are more than 23,000 food trucks in the country, doing more than $1 billion in annual sales. The industry has been growing more popular since the 2008 recession and are operable at low overhead. The concept, however, dates back to the 1700s when vendors sold food from street kitchens of small carts, the site said.

Gaitten said the day’s activities will include live music, antiques vendors, arts and crafts, commercial booths and a kid’s section with rides and games. Admission is free. The Wild Card Band will be performing as well, she said.

The first Metter Food Truck Festival drew almost 3,000 visitors and “the food trucks almost all sold out,” she said.

This year, people will be able to choose from trucks offering seafood, tacos, Latin food, hot dogs, cupcakes, Jamaican fare and more, she said. Some of the trucks registered already include the following: Chazito’s Latin Cuisine; Sweet & Spicy; Craves Cupcakes; Ocean in Motion; The Taco Truck; Kickback Shack; Good Dogs TC; and Molly’s Fish & Chips (Molly McPherson’s restaurant in Savannah.)

Herald reporter Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.