Leave the toy cars at home—this event is life-size!
Huntsville’s annual Touch-a-Truck event allows children to get behind the wheel and greet their everyday heroes.
Emergency vehicles and heavy machinery will line 13th Street and University Avenue from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, September 23, giving young and old alike the opportunity to meet the men and women who operate the equipment.
Touch-a-Truck allows kids to sit in the driver’s seat of their favorite vehicles and let their imaginations run wild. Rebekah Kolb, Huntsville’s Main Street manager, says drivers and operators can also pose for photographs and answer questions about their jobs.
“There will be an EMS ambulance, SWAT truck, police cars and more,” Kolb says. “My favorite truck is the fire ladder truck. I am a little biased though—my husband is a firefighter!”
This year’s event will include a dig zone, photo area and hot dogs roasted by the Huntsville Fire Department. The first hour is considered a quiet hour for children with noise sensitivity to experience the event without sirens, horns or loud crowds.
Larry Finley, MidSouth Electric Cooperative lineworker, brings his bucket truck each year and lets participants try on his safety equipment.
“The kids get to put on the hard hat and gloves we wear daily,” Finley says. “They can also handle the tools I use on the job.”
The third-generation lineworker says even adults are fascinated by the opportunity to see what it takes to keep the electricity on each day.
Miles Conner, a member of MidSouth EC’s staking team, also attends the event to assist the linemen, answer questions and hand out bottled water.
“Touch-a-Truck is the best-attended family event in Huntsville,” Conner says. “We get to put a face to the electric cooperative and interact with our members in a unique way.”
As an active resident of the Huntsville community, Conner says the event helps bridge the gap between neighbors and the linemen, first responders and other equipment operators working in the area.
Kolb invites everyone to attend.
“Come out and enjoy the morning in downtown Huntsville,” she said. “Make sure to shop our merchants and eat at a local restaurant while you’re in town!”
