EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville Township Supervisor Kevin Hall had a very positive reaction to the Eighth Annual Saturday Touch-A-Truck event.
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A day full of sunlight awaited children in Edwardsville’s Township Community Park for the big day.
The event gave a rare glimpse to local children in the community to come and play with something that they may not normally get in their everyday lives, Hall said.
"It's the chance for the kids to get up close to a lot of cool trucks that they don't get to see every day," he said. "Hopefully not but one day if they have to use one of the vehicles, then hopefully they will not be scared as they might be since they have been up close to one in the past.”
At promptly 10 a.m. the event kicked off with a helicopter landing as the township's yearly Touch-A-Truck event took on the day. A multitude of police vehicles, fire engines, and construction equipment from the local community was on display for the handful of children to play and engage with. From SWAT vehicles, and a helicopter, to backhoes and cranes, there were swarms of young children and their parents enjoying the day and taking the rare opportunity to sit in and touch all the fun equipment.
As for the helicopter, it was flown that morning from Spirit of St. Louis Airport. On a normal day, the flight team includes an RN and a respiratory therapist plus a pilot. A day in the life of the helicopter is that it usually goes around and picks up pediatric patients, and neonates and transports them to a new hospital. During the 20-minute journey to the township, MacKenzie Kimniau, the flight respiratory therapist said, “You just feel a little cool, they're [kids] waiting for you and I’m proud of it [helicopter] and I’m proud of showing it to them”.
Adam Colivn, the assistant to the supervisor, stated that the event gave an opportunity to highlight the Township’s park - the 25-acre park that features a playground, tennis courts, and a place to toss a frisbee.
Touch-A-Truck is definitely on for the foreseeable future, as there is no reason to stop. “As long as people come and they're happy, we're happy," he said.
Jeremy Ramirez Garcia is an intern for Riverbender.com from Principia College.
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