On Thursday, the Crawfordsville District Public Library hosted a special event for area families. The Children’s Department put on its Touch A Truck interactive exhibit in the library parking lot and along Pike Street. More than 15 cars and trucks showed up to give children (and a few adults) a chance to see, feel, and explore the inside of various work vehicles. Participants were able to turn on sirens, honk horns and flip switches during the experience.
Owen Walter, a third grader at Sommer Elementary, had a difficult time picking his favorite.
“I love them all. This is so much fun,” he said with a big smile on his face.
His only disappointment was that he could not practice painting lines on the road with the Indiana State Highway Department.
“Maybe in a few years, you can,” the highway department representative told Walter.
The event was a first for Chad Hodges from the Crawfordsville Street Department. He helped kids in and out of the Vac-All street sweeper truck.
“Kids like to have competitions with the air horns in all the trucks,” said Hodges just as the big truck let out a booming sound.
“It is a great time to interact with the kids,” He said. “They are amazed that the truck has two steering wheels.”
Dakota Glenn from Crawfordsville Electric Light & Power was a veteran of the Touch A Truck night. The CEL&P truck was the vehicle used to dig into the ground for planting electric poles. This particular truck, with its long auger, is capable of digging a hole 15-plus feet. Glenn enjoys the annual event because it is great to get out in the community and for children to see the different jobs people do.
CDPL Children’s Department has put on the event since 2012, minus a couple of Covid years.
“We have had so many businesses and government departments that have been with us from the beginning,” said Janella Nunan, assistant Children’s Department manager. “We are thankful they have made our program such a success.”
New to the Touch A Truck night were the SWAT team truck, Dig-It, Wilson Towing, Xfinity and Oak Hill Tree Farms.
