By Morgan Bryce
Associate Editor

The 11th annual Touch-a-Truck event will be held June 2 from 9 a.m. – noon in downtown Opelika.
Presented by the City of Opelika, Keep Opelika Beautiful and Opelika Main Street, Touch-a-Truck allows children and adults to explore vehicles used in the city, ranging from fire trucks and police vehicles to race cars.
“It’s a great way to spend a Saturday morning with your family and kids. When my two boys were little, they just loved trucks, and kids in general are more easily awed than adults,” said OMS Director Tiffany Denson. “It’s also a great way for kids to interact and be in person with stuff they see on television and books.”
Admission to the event is free.
Burger Wars
Thirty amateur and professional grillers will go head-to-head to determine who cooks the area’s best burger during the fourth-annual “Burger Wars” June 2 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Portions of North Railroad Avenue in downtown Opelika will be closed off for the event, which will include live music, “Big Bite Challenge” between members of Auburn and Opelika’s fire departments, and more.
Event organizer John Sweatman said the purpose of the event is two-fold: a way for people to come and enjoy what downtown Opelika has to offer and assist a worthwhile cause in the Food Bank of East Alabama’s “Backpack Meal Program.”
“(Proceeds from the event) will go to providing backpack meals for food-insecure kids in our community,” Sweatman said. “This is just a fun outdoor, tailgate-style event for downtown Opelika. We all love doing that in the fall to cheer on our favorite teams, and this gives us an opportunity to come down here and do the same thing.”
Several Opelika restaurants classified as “professional” grillers will be competing, including Niffer’s at the Tracks, Zazu Gastropub and La Cantina, among others.
Instead of admission, Sweatman explained that visitors can pay $2 for a tasting ticket, which can be redeemed for a sample equivalent to one-fourth of a burger.
“These burgers are huge. If you bought them in a restaurant, you’d probably be paying $8, $10 or $12,” Sweatman said. “Our grillers really go all out with some amazing ingredients that go in or on top of the burger. No one should leave there hungry.”
For more information, like and follow the Burger Wars Facebook page.
Following is a current list of sponsors for the event, which is subject to change:
Agricola Law
Almost Anything
BURT Employment Services
Cappell & Howard Attorneys at Law
Cottonseed Studios
Frederick-Dean Funeral Home
Jet-Pep
John Emerald Distillery
Opelika Main Street
Opelika Observer
Pharmavite
Prewett Insurance Group
Red Clay Brewing Company
S&S Termite and Pest Control
Smith-Kastner Wealth Management
Wickles Pickles
Wings 94.3 FM.