WICKER PARK — Looking for some good — and free — vibrations?
The Trojan Vibrations 'Pleasure Cart' might be able to help you — if you're lucky enough to score one of the few thousand vibrators that the condom maker will be handing out from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the Do-Division Street Fest.
Kara Salgado, executive director of the West Town Chamber of Commerce, which is organizing the festival, said that the cart will be parked in front of the Wicker Hand Car Wash at 2123 W. Division St.
Pleasure Carts, fashioned after New York City-style hot dog carts, have given away more than 40,000 vibrators since launching last fall in New York, Miami, Seattle and Boston, but not every city has welcomed the promotion.
In Boston, the mayor tried to block the manufacturer from giving away vibrators in a city plaza, and in New York City last August, the cart was shut down for not having proper permits.
Salgado said Trojan representatives are planning to give away at least 4,000 vibrators, including the Tri-Phoria Intimate Massager and the Pulse Intimate Massager.
In addition to the pleasure cart giveaway, 800 vibrators donated by Trojan will go into goodie bags distributed at the 'Do-Fashion' Fest, a new fest-within-the-Do-Division Fest on Hoyne Street, Salgado said.
Bruce Weiss, vice president of marketing for Trojan, said the carts "were created as a vehicle to encourage an open and healthy dialog about vibrators, especially now that they are readily available at mass retailers nationwide."
Before accepting Trojan as a sponsor, Salgado said the pros and cons were run by the city's special events office, the Family Fun Fest organizers, 1st Ward Ald. Joe Moreno and an eight-member fest planning committee.
"They asked [Moreno] if he would have a problem, and he didn't," said Matthew Bailey, a spokesman for Moreno. "We're cool with it."
Though the majority of Do-Division Fest is in the 1st Ward, the south side of the street in the 2100 block of West Division Street (where the Wicker Hand Car Wash is located), is in Ald. Scott Waguespack's 32nd Ward.
"I am fine with the cart. I don't think it poses any issue. If people don't want to take the gift, they will have plenty of other vendors to visit during the event," Waguespack said.
