CLAWSON, Mich. (WXYZ) — An extreme heat warning has blanketed the Royal Oak area for days, but that is not stopping two major summer events from moving forward this weekend.
Royal Oak Taco Fest was originally scheduled to begin Thursday, but organizers pushed the start date back one day due to dangerous temperatures. The festival will now run Friday, Saturday and Sunday, featuring about 50 taco trucks and 78 bands performing on multiple stages.
Watch Megan Lee's video report below:
Rick Rhoades, owner of Señors Food Truck, is among the vendors setting up for the event. He said staying cool comes down to one thing.
"Hot tamale — just hydration. Water, Gatorade," Rhoades said.
Rhoades uses family recipes passed down from his grandmother and mother to craft the menu at Señors.
"These are all family recipes that have been around for years and years and years," Rhoades said.
While he was initially disappointed by the one-day delay, Rhoades said he understands the call.
"Well at first, I was like ahh. But I think they made a wise decision," Rhoades said.
He is still optimistic about the turnout.
"I'm hoping. Ya know, I got a lot of delicious food I'm gonna be making," Rhoades said.
Jon Witz, who oversees Royal Oak Taco Fest, said organizers are taking steps to keep attendees comfortable and expects conditions to improve as the weekend goes on.
"We hope to bring some energy and action and the heat is going to get three or four degrees better each day," Witz said.
Witz said several cooling measures have been put in place throughout the festival grounds.
"We've added misting stations, we've added fans into our seated tents that also have misters, we're also allowing people to bring in water," Witz said.
Just down the road, the Clawson Fourth of July festivities also kick off Friday afternoon. Organizers say they are no strangers to the heat.
Stacey Karwoski, a member of the Clawson 4th of July Committee, said the timing is nothing new.
"Fourth of July around Clawson every year I remember as a kid growing up has always been one of the hottest days of the year," Karwoski said.
Karwoski said safety and fun are both top priorities for the event.
"The most important thing is to make sure everyone hydrates and takes care of themselves. We got the safety taken care of for the day. Don't worry about that. We just wanna have a lot of fun," Karwoski said.
Karwoski confirmed the fireworks are still on for Saturday night, rain or shine.
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