Touch-A-Truck event in Harrison brings excitement to the little ones
Children didn’t just touch a truck Saturday in Harrison.
The louder the horn, the wider the grin that appeared on the faces of preschool and elementary-age children at the second annual Touch-A-Truck sponsored by the Harrison Recreation Board.
Most beeped and honked the horns for fire engine and delivery trucks — which provided plenty of excitement until a LifeFlight medical helicopter arrived at 2 p.m.
Highlands and Tarentum firefighters kept the kids well back when the chopper set down on a grassy spot at the Highlands High School.
As soon as the blades stopped turning, dozens of youngsters made a mad dash — reminiscent of the charge at an Easter egg hunt — for the green-and-white helicopter. Pilot Mark O’Neal and flight paramedic David Thomas answered questions.
And at one point, the pilot had to ask some of the eager kids to not grab the instruments.
Nolan Campbell, 2 , of Harrison enjoyed walking from the side entry to the rear entrance to the German-made EC 145 copter. He was accompanied by his father, Desert Storm Air Force veteran Michael Campbell.
At least 30 trucks were parked and ready for inspection, including the Mobile Service Center for Animal Friends.
Vet Carol Fellenstein said the veterinarians can perform surgery aboard the vehicle. When Fellenstein showed youngsters how some of the monitors worked, brothers Camdyn, 6, Carter, 12, and Colton Anderson, 9, of Brackenridge enjoyed getting their pulse rate taken.
“They really are excited,” said their mother, Charlotte Anderson.
Among the youngest to attend was Josiah Nolen, with parents Cody and Taj Nolen of Harrison. The couple had special hearing protectors for their son so he was shielded from the loud horns.
“This is a really good thing,” Cody Nolen said. “The weather is perfect and everyone appears happy and entertained.”
Sisters Megan Zendarski and Natalie Cale, both Highlands School District teachers, are members of the township’s recreation committee.
Both were happy with the turnout and the large number of youngsters.
Township Commissioner Chuck Dizzard said he was pleased with the large number of trucks and the LifeFlight helicopter.
“The committee did a lot of work, and it shows,” he said.
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