Gather round, ye moms of littles, and let me tell you about my kids’ favorite event in Lubbock, which also happens to be FREE. No money. Gratis. Leave your wallet at home. (Can I get an “amen”?!)
Three words: Touch-A-Truck.
Touch-A-Truck is just what it sounds like: an opportunity for kids to “touch” big trucks and vehicles of all kinds AND meet the men and women who operate them. Firetrucks, ambulances, tractor-trailers, garbage trucks, dump trucks, construction vehicles, police cars; one year we even had a chance to ring the Texas Tech Saddle Tramps bell! You name it and they have it.
(My kids have legit been to Disney World, but they ask me every year when is Touch-A-Truck. Did I mention it’s free?)
This is such a fun opportunity for your kids to sit in the driver’s seat and honk the horns and flash the lights and push all the buttons of all the coolest vehicles out there. If you have a little one obsessed with Bob the Builder, Paw Patrol, or DinoTrux you definitely have to go.
But wait! There’s more! Maybe you have a kiddo who’s a little timid around loud noises? Fear not, there’s a horn-free hour, just for children with sensitivity to sounds. Either way, your kids also have a chance to meet and interact with the wonderful people who operate these machines – police officers, firefighters, and lots more. The vehicle operators are so friendly and will be MORE than happy to answer your child’s every question about their job and the vehicle they drive.
Touch-A-Truck is definitely not a “just for boys” thing; my daughter and I enjoy it every bit as much as my son and husband. I’m still blown away by the year the City of Lubbock brought a brand-new trash truck to display – when do you ever have a chance to see a brand-spanking-new garbage truck, fresh off the assembly line? It was so cool!
Full disclosure: This is a community outreach event hosted by the Junior League of Lubbock, of which I’m a proud member. (Wanna join? Hit me up!). But even if I wasn’t, I would still tell you to come to this event. It’s completely run by volunteers, and they would love to see you enjoy the fruits of their hard work. Thanks to our generous sponsors (special shoutout to my friends the Keys over at ASCO!) there’s no admission fee. Instead, you are encouraged to bring donations of Pop-Tarts for the Junior League’s Food2Kids program. If you didn’t know, each week the Junior League provides a weekend snack sack to more than 1,900 food-insecure children in Lubbock, and Pop-Tarts are one of the most requested treats. We would appreciate your donation, but if that’s just not in the cards for you, please come anyway! It’s so much fun and just so cool to see these vehicles up close.
Touch-A-Truck is happening this weekend, Saturday, April 27, from 9:00am – 2:00pm at the South Plains Mall parking lot, next to Home Depot. Horn-free hour is 9:00am – 10:00am. I hope to see you there – I call dibs on the firetruck!
