On the last Friday of each month, food trucks fill the parking lot at Washington Assembly of God. Hailing from Beaufort County and beyond, these mobile kitchens offer some of the area’s finest fares during the church’s monthly Food Truck Friday event.

“I came to Washington about two years ago and had moved from the Charlotte area,” Assembly of God Pastor Daniel Haskett said. “In Charlotte, they do these food truck Fridays every Friday night during the summer and it’s a big thing where people come from all over the city and meet in a random parking lot and enjoy all these great food vendors … When we got to Washington, we started doing some research to see if it was something we could do here.”

Contacting local food truck vendors, the church held its first Food Truck Friday event last fall, starting back again in March after a break over the winter months.

In addition to enjoying the best cuisine-on-wheels the area has to offer, attendees are also treated to a secondary event of some kind during the evening. Offering everything from live music and comedy nights to inflatables and Easter egg hunts, new events keep the church’s Food Truck Friday fresh.

This month will feature free laser tag, courtesy of Christopher Snyder at Battleground Laser Tag. Haskett hopes that the event will serve not only as a community-building tool, but also as an avenue to allow business owners like Snyder to promote their businesses.

“We’ve enjoyed having people from all over Washington, Beaufort County, Greenville and other places to come, meet with us and have a great time,” Haskett said. “It’s a way to get the community here and have another event in Washington that people can enjoy on the weekend.”

Participating food trucks this month include Taco Express, Y’all Eat Yet, Smash Waffles, East Coast Wings, Dem Boys Barbecue, Kona Ice and Chick-fil-A. Vendors don’t pay a fee, and the event is free to all who wish to come. For Haskett, the event isn’t about making money, but instead bringing the community together.

“We want people to know that in their crisis and moments of need where we are as a church,” Haskett said. “It’s a way of getting the community involved. We love Washington and Beaufort County, so we want to create things for people to do here.”

Food Truck Fridays will continue on the last Friday of the month through October at the Washington Assembly of God. The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. and is open to the public, with the only cost being what guests choose to spend at the food trucks.