Touch-A-Truck Attracts Hundreds in S.C.

July 20--The rain held off for Saturday's 12th annual Touch-A-Truck, but hundreds of people still had the opportunity to get wet when Aiken Public Safety hoisted one of its ladders into the air to douse attendees below with water.

The fire engines were just two of about 35 big trucks on display at Saturday's event, which allowed children to get up close and personal with service vehicles they otherwise wouldn't get a chance to explore.

The event began after City officials heard about similar events in other cities, according to Sam Radford, recreation program coordinator for the City of Aiken Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department.

"Did we think it was gonna be this big? No, but it's definitely taken off and grown over the years," Radford said.

She estimated the very first event garnered less than 1,000 attendees. Organizers were hoping for 2,000 at Saturday's event, and Radford estimated they had about 1,800 by 11:30 a.m.

There was something for truck lovers of all varieties, from tractors, farm equipment and construction rigs to buses, tow trucks and emergency responders.

"Ambulances, fire trucks -- any vehicles with loud horns, those are huge hits," Radford said. "The first thing you hear from the kids is a 'Wow' or an exclamation whenever they see all the different vehicles."

Also included in the event were free snow cones provided by Aiken Public Safety, an archery range provided by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, free health screenings provided by the S.C. Lions Club and a bounce house provided by Molina Healthcare, the sponsor of this year's event.

A medical helicopter was supposed to make an appearance at Touch-A-Truck, but Radford said the overcast skies and low visibility kept the chopper from flying.

Another addition to this year's event was the Rolling Video Games mobile video game theater. The air-conditioned trailer is lined with sofas and flat-screen televisions and can seat up to 16 people at a time to play video games.

The trailer was a favorite for Joey Webster, who came to the event with his mother, Laura. She said her family has come to Touch-A-Truck every year since it began.

"My oldest son is 15, so we've come every year. (Joey) has had it on his calendar for quite a while," she said. "It's very good for the kids to come out and see different things."

Attendees also got the chance to interact with the people who operate the vehicles and learn more about their jobs.

Jeremy Gaudette, an emergency medical technician with SouthStar EMS, has brought an ambulance to Touch-A-Truck before.

"It's very, very good for them to get used to seeing the back of the truck so we're not a scary picture when we show up," Gaudette said, adding that he'd rather see kids enjoying the back of the ambulance than have to see them because of sickness or injury.

One boy who climbed into the back of the ambulance put on some of the latex gloves.

"Every person who would get in the back of the truck, he would ask if they wanted to be the patient," Gaudette said with a laugh. "I said, 'Yep, he's gonna be an EMT in the future.'"

Teddy Kulmala covers the crime and courts beat for the Aiken Standard.

Copyright 2014 - Aiken Standard, S.C.