The
first “children’s event” (I guess I need to add the disclaimer “with children”)
I attended here in Greenville was four years ago. My sister Anna had come into
town to help this brand new mom while Roberts was away on business, and we had
decided to get out of the house on a Saturday morning to go to the downtown
farmer’s market. Every year on the first Saturday in June the City of
Greenville puts on Touch-a-Truck at the Saturday Market. This is a great
opportunity for kids to get up close and personal with a bunch of trucks and city
vehicles, most of which are open for exploring.
 |
| Then and now - Lauris at one month old and the boys this past weekend |
The
trick to this free event is to get there early. The market opens at 8:30 am,
and that’s when we timed our arrival. By 9:30 the lines to climb into the
various trucks and machines had grown, and by 10 the two block stretch of McBee
Ave. was crowded.
It
took about an hour and a half to check out all the participating vehicles, although
we did skip one particularly long line, that for the SC Farm Bureau Federation AG
Combine Simulator. The interactive educational unit allows users to harvest
virtual row crops in the cab of a real agricultural combine, and I’ve heard it’s
very lifelike. This might be on the list for next year, when the boys are just a
bit older.
The
most educational vehicle might have been the Greenville Water sewer line van,
equipped with hoses fitted with cameras that run deep underground to solve
blockage problems. The boys liked the army truck better. Possibly associated
with the National Guard, it was a large camouflaged troop carrier, similar to
the SWAT truck that was equipped to carry 22 people (mostly hanging off the
sides). I was more a fan of the fire engine. Good thing the emergency brakes
were on when Mikus stepped on the gas…
Most
of the participating trucks were City of Greenville vehicles. If I could make a
suggestion to the 2015 planning committee, it would be to get a little more
variety in; a garbage truck would be a great addition, and I think the boys
would really enjoy seeing a cement truck up close. Definitely keep the
excavator!
Clambering
into, onto, around and on top of almost 20 vehicles really tired the boys out,
and they were ready to head home to wake up dad. We stopped in the market to
pick up some garlic dill chèvre from
Spinning Spider Creamery, and then we were off towards home, both boys talking
a mile a minute about all the different trucks they had driven that morning…
They must have been so excited! It was like playing with huge toys for them.
ReplyDeleteThis is an event they will remember for a long time!
The variety of vehicles is impressive! And talk about great photos from then and now! :)
ReplyDeletePerfect place to take kids... Oh My---I'm sure the kids loved every second of that event... I remember when my kids were little and the fire department brought a big fire truck to the pre-school where they were. The kids talked about getting to get on that firetruck for days and days. They loved it...
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Betsy
Bonjour Liene. I have meant to stop by and say "merci beaucoup," for the kind words you left on my blog a few days ago. I see life is treating you (and your boys,) well in S.C. What a fun outing for them! Boys and their toys. Some things don't change. Take care, Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)
ReplyDelete