'Touch a Truck'
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald Kids (and their stuffed toys) got a chance to sit in the LifeFlight helicopter at ‘Touch a Truck’ Saturday in Ephrata.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald Excited kids were allowed to hold the wheel in a real race car during ‘Touch a Truck’ Saturday in Ephrata.
Helicopter, fire trucks, others close enough to touch
By CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Staff Writer
EPHRATA — The organizers of the annual “Touch a Truck” event in Ephrata Saturday morning managed to find -
Oh, wow, the LifeFlight helicopter was parked at the field next to the Ephrata pool, and kids could climb in the cockpit. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Response Team vehicle - not exactly a truck, more of an armored vehicle - was on display, and kids could climb in the back. Parents were invited to climb in too, and some did.
Anyway, the organizers managed to find -
Wow, there were three fire trucks from the Ephrata Fire Department on display; the boom truck was extended all the way and kids could sit in the cab of all three engines.
Okay, the organizers found -
The jet skis belonging to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office were there, and kids could sit on them. They could sit on the GCSO patrol motorcycle, and the officer would activate the lights and siren.
Ambulances from AMR were on display, and two Ephrata School District buses, which proved to be very popular. The Grant Transit Authority displayed a bus. The Ephrata Police Department had at least two vehicles there (including its hardshell-back vehicle), and the officer would activate the lights and siren in the patrol vehicle. The Washington State Patrol displayed vehicles, and let kids sit inside.
And all the emergency vehicles were only part of the display in the Splash Zone parking lot. There was a dump truck and a road grader, a garbage truck and a cement truck. In both vehicles kids were allowed to climb up to the cab and grab the lever that blew the horns. There was a winged sprint car, a race car, from ABC Racing in Moses Lake.
There was even a display of llamas, and miniature ponies to pet. Kids could get stickers and balloons, and the fire department was giving away kid-sized fire hats. There were games on the lawn, until the sprinklers came on. The llamas looked on with mild disdain as people scrambled to move objects out of the way.
There was so much to see kids hardly knew where to start, although there was a line to climb into the helicopter.
Ephrata Fire Chief Jeremy Burns gave the credit to Lynn Smith, a fire department volunteer. Smith has been organizing Touch a Truck for a few years, he said, and has built a “really good network” of people willing to display their vehicles and equipment.