Touch-a-Truck set Saturday in GHS parking lot

Local families are invited to “Rev Up Your Imagination” for the Friends of the Putnam County Public Library’s seventh-annual Touch-a-Truck event.

Touch-a-Truck will take place from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday in the Greencastle High School lower parking lot.

Name a child, or adult for that matter, who wouldn’t love to climb aboard a fire truck, race car, big rig, dump truck or backhoe. Touch-a-Truck provides a unique opportunity for children to explore vehicles of all types — public service, emergency, utility, construction and transportation — all in one place.

Children will be allowed to touch, climb on and ask questions about their favorite vehicles in a safe, supervised environment. Accompanying personnel will teach the children about the equipment displayed and how these machines help us and our community.

“The faces that go with each of these vehicles is really what makes this a special event. I say it every year, but these are the people that make this community run each and every day,” event organizer Cathryn Ensley said. “It’s important for our children to meet them, and know that these are potential career choices in the future. Plus, it’s a great way to support Imagination Library, as well as see some really cool vehicles.”

As always, the event is meant to be a bit of a kickoff to Father’s Day weekened.

“The event is always held the Saturday before Father’s Day, that way way families have a fun and affordable way to spend some quality time together, and support Imagination Library,” Ensley said.

Tickets are $5 a person or $15 for a family of four and will be for sale on the day of the event. All money raised will support Imagination Library in Putnam County.

Ensley added that Touch-a-Truck is important to ensuring the sustainability of Imagination Library, which costs about $25,000 annually to provide books to young children in Putnam county.

“This is our most important fundraiser of the year for Imagination Library,” Ensley said. “I’m so grateful to all that support Imagination Library, whether it’s attending our Touch-a-Truck event, or through a direct donation, as its helped us deliver 74,980 books to Putnam County children since we began the program in August of 2011.”

Besides the good it does in the community, Touch-a-Truck is also a lot of fun, Ensley said.

“Touch A Truck day is one of my favorite days of the year,” she said. “It’s so fun to watch all of the vehicles roll into the lot. In fact, we welcome local businesses to contact us, if they would still like to participate in this community event, the more the merrier,” Ensley said.

Participating vehicles and donors include, ABATE of Putnam County, Area 30, The Michael and Donna Baker Family, Baker’s Septic Services, Cash Concrete, Cedar View Farms/Sutherlin Family, Co-Alliance, Crown Equipment, Curtis Garage Wrecker Service, Inc., Joe Custis Excavating, DePauw University, Dustin’s Towing Service, Endeavor, the Jim and Cathryn Ensley Family, First National Bank of Cloverdale, Greencastle Community School Corporation, Greencastle Department of Public Works, Greencastle Fire Department, Greencastle Police Department, Greencastle Rotary Club, Humphreys’ Outdoor Power, INDOT, Indiana National Guard, Indiana State Police, Jack’s Trash Service, Dan Jones, McAllister Machinery Co., Thom and Gwen Morris, Newgent Racing, Palmer Truck, People United for Pets, Pingleton Sawmill, Putnam County Hospital, Putnam County Highway Department, Putnam County Operation Life, Putnam County Public Library, Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, UPS and Wal-Mart Transportation.

Imagination Library was started by country singer Dolly Parton and is a program that provides a new and free, age-appropriate book every month to each child enrolled in the program. The program was implemented in Putnam County in 2011. A sample of book titles recently sent to local Putnam County children include: “Llama, Llama Red Pajama,” “The Little Engine That Could” and “Corduroy.”

Any Putnam County child age birth to five may sign up for the program. For more information about Imagination Library in Putnam County, visit imaginationlibrary.com, or the Putnam County Public Library. Currently, almost 1,000 Putnam County children are enrolled in Imagination Library and are receiving a free book each month.

The Friends of the Putnam County Public Library is sponsoring the Touch-a-Truck event. The group’s mission is to promote literacy in all its forms, to facilitate equitable access to information and to encourage lifelong learning and a love for reading.