Kids get up close to big trucks at annual event

Fire engines, big rigs, ambulance among touchable vehicles

View File PhotosTop, Ethan Couviellie, 21 months, pretends to drive a truck as part of the 2006 Touch-A-Truck event. Bottom, Owen Sanders, 5, finds that the shovel of a Caterpillar tractor is a good place to play at the 2006 event. This year?s Touch-A-Truck event will be held 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at The Orleans Arena. Tickets are $6 and can be purchased at the event. Advertisement

A moderate sense of adventure is healthy, even in children.

It's an innate and insatiable curiosity that drives kids to experience the world with all five senses, sometimes to the chagrin of well-meaning parents.

Too often, that natural inclination is stifled for one reason or another. But with the arrival of the fourth annual Touch-A-Truck Event, beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday in the northwest parking lot of The Orleans Arena, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave., children from all over the valley will get the chance to explore without limitation.

The event, which will benefit the Las Vegas West chapter of Family to Family Connection, a charity that offers free classes and community networking experiences for families, will allow the public to examine unique vehicles, and get up close and personal with some of the community's every day heroes.

"This is our major fundraising benefit, and it's been hugely successful over the last four years," manager Dianne Farkas said. "So much so that we've had to move the event from its original location in the northwest part of the valley to the more central location at The Orleans. We hope that the move will make it more convenient for families all over the valley to attend."

The tactile experience will feature a parade of hardware: fire engines, big rigs, sports cars, an ambulance, Harley Davidson motorcycles, police cruisers, military vehicles, construction trucks and a garbage truck.

"They're vehicles that kids see every day," board member Carolyn Wheeler said. "But one of the coolest things about this event is that they will have the chance to talk to the guys from Metro, firefighters, folks from Nellis (Air Force Base), and sanitation workers and ask questions about how they do their jobs."

The event also will feature activity tents where children can learn more about their favorite vehicles and the vocations that they are associated with, as well as a display of more than 50 modes of transportation, from a double-decker bus to a hot air balloon, while special guest appearances will include officers from the Metropolitan Police Department's K-9 unit, Bob the Builder and representatives from five different fire departments from around Las Vegas.

While Wheeler said she has heard plenty of parents express enthusiasm over the uniqueness of the event, it's the kids who really seem to benefit in a huge way.

"For adults, some of these questions kids ask might seem pretty basic," Wheeler said. "But for them, it's all new. They can ask a sanitation worker what happens to the trash when it's picked up from their home, or find out how a race car driver controls a car at such a high speed. It's a learning experience."

According to Farkas, last year's event raised approximately $30,000, a number she said she believes will be surpassed in 2008.

"It gets bigger and better every year," Farkas said. "Last year, we saw 2,000 people. This year, we expect that number to increase significantly."

For Wheeler, the benefits of the event are two fold; it's not just a fun and educational experience, it's a way to raise funds for a worthy cause, as well.

"The proceeds go to support a wonderful charity," she said. "Each person who becomes involved with Family to Family does so voluntarily. It's not a situation where people are court ordered to do anything. It's a charity that offers support and educational services for parents in the community, and it's all free."

According to Farkas, the most enjoyable part of the event for adults is watching the reactions of the children around them.

"The look on their faces says it all," Farkas said. "They're fascinated by the vehicles and grow more excited with every one. When else will a kid get the chance to climb around a fire engine or a police car?"

Tickets are $6 and can be purchased at the event. Children under the age of 2 get in free. Family to Family Connection is located at 6114 W. Charleston Blvd.

For more information, call 870-9583 or visit www.touchatruck.net.