Fourth annual event sees largest crowd yet
By Barb Pert Templeton
The fourth annual Touch a Truck Night Out in Algonac was a huge hit with families near and far and organizers are pleased to report they welcomed the biggest crowd yet.
This year’s event, hosted at Smith Recreation Field on Aug. 4, was once again a totally free community event.
The evening included kids seeing police, fire, construction and big rigs up close while also meeting professionals in the various fields who operate the vehicles. The special evening is also meant to honor first responders while promoting police, fire and community relationships.
Rosco the Clown is always a crowd favorite at community events.
Algonac Fire Chief Joseph Doan didn’t seem surprised to report that this year’s event was so popular.
“It’s all about the community and it’s for the kids.” Doan said in an email on Aug. 6. “This year was the largest turnout yet with lots of community involvement.”
When asked why he thinks the event is such a huge draw for local organizations, who really step up to support it, Doan said because it’s for such a great cause.
“It’s bringing the community together for the kids,” he said.
Seeing the Touch a Truck Night Out grow even more going forward is a major goal for organizers.
A chance to see construction vehicles and big rigs up close brought out a great crowd.
“Our hope is that it gets bigger and better every year,” Doan said.
As far as improvements to the current schedule the fire chief said it’s been suggested that organizers include some type of food vendors next year. This year’s event included free water
and popcorn for attendees. Regardless of those details year to year, Doan is just happy to be part of it and “to see all the smiles on the kid’s faces.”
The City of Algonac Government and Community Service page on Facebook had the following post on Aug. 5, the day after the event.
Former Algonac Mayor and Port Huron Schools administrator Terry Stoneburner with her dog, Charlie.
What a great event. Loved the sand box in back of the monster dump truck and letting the kids throw dirt around in a mini excavator. We estimated around 250 kids, make lots of memories for families. Thank You that we’re all involved. It was great seeing kids getting dirty. We had to vacuum out the fire trucks today.
The City of Algonac Fire Department Facebook page had this post.
THANK YOU to everyone who came out for this year’s Touch-A-Truck event. This event was made successful by the support of the following:
City of Algonac
City of Algonac DPW
City of Algonac Fire Department
Blue Star Construction
Cortis Brothers
Fosters Towing
Dean Transportation
Algonac Sand & Supply
Diponio Contracting
Motor City Electric
Woodside Bible Church
BMS CAT
St. Clair County Sheriff
Bounce houses are always a big draw for the kids.
Michigan DNR- Conservation
St. Clair County Therapy Dogs
Kenneth Tappen
St. Clair County Community Mental Health
Michigan State Police
Tri-Hospital EMS
Ira Township Fire Department
Marine City Fire Department
Rosco the Clown- Nikel & Saph Inc. Insurance
St. Clair County Homeland Security/Emergency Management
Algonac Liquor
Background on National Night Out
The first annual Night Out occurred in August 1984 when founder Matt Peskin hosted an event in Pennsylvania. The idea was to build trust between law enforcement agencies and neighborhood watch groups, civic groups, state and regional crime prevention associations and volunteers across the nation.
In all, the event grew to involve2.5 million neighbors across 400 communities in 23 states on the first Tuesday in August each year. Picnics, festivals and simple neighborhood block parties were hosted along with the added Touch-A-Truck event to introduce children to unique equipment utilized for safety in their community.
