Truck lovers young and old gathered at Cedar Grove Church of the Brethren in New Paris, Ohio, on Sept. 9 to interact with a wide variety of trucks, construction vehicles, public safety vehicles, and more.
The premise of this inaugural “Touch a Truck” event was exactly what it sounds like: we got a whole bunch of big trucks and other vehicles together in the church parking lot and then let kids explore them, sit in the driver’s seat, honk the horn, and generally just marvel at them. From fire trucks to race cars, cement trucks to police cars, tractors to garbage trucks—how often does anyone get to look inside any of these unusual vehicles and get to talk to someone who operates them? The most exciting of the 20 vehicles was the MedFlight helicopter that landed on site. Kids of all ages, adults included, loved these loud and unique vehicles.
The event also allowed groups and businesses that run the vehicles, both public and private, to have a positive interaction with the public. Almost any vehicle fit the bill, but it was important to have an operator in attendance to talk about the vehicle and how it works, and to take charge of how much access the public was allowed to have. Companies were encouraged to hand out promotional materials. The New Madison Public Library also handed out free books and craft kits, Ketring Meats did grilling for the concession stand, and Rolled Hose Creamery sold their rolled ice cream.
Touch a Truck was a huge success and a great opportunity for community outreach. Cedar Grove hopes to make this a yearly event! —Mallorie Dill
This article originally appeared in Messenger magazine.