The annual Touch-a-Truck festival at the Becker Community Center last Saturday attracted an enthusiastic group of kids and their parents, the once-a-year opportunity to sit at the controls of some big equipment proving irresistible to kids of all ages.
The cast of mechanical characters this year included units from the Becker Fire Dept., with the high ladder truck taking pride of place and attended by a group of fire fighters in their turn-out gear who answered questions and explained the inner workings of the highly-polished vehicles. The Becker Police Dept. was also on hand, showing youthful law enforcers how to run the siren and the flashing lights on the police cruisers.
Also on hand was the Centra-Care ambulance from Monticello Hospital, a snowplow truck from the City of Becker, a cement mixer from Knife River, a semi-tractor from T.J. Potter Trucking, a Becker school bus, a yard truck from the Liberty Paper plant, a refuse hauler from ACE Waste management and an excavator, all of which the kids could tour and examine from the driver’s seat during the event.
But the star of the show was the North Memorial Air Ambulance, which landed in the parking lot before the event began and drew a steady crowd of onlookers who wanted to see the inside of the machine and chat with the crew.
The day also included an indoor garage sale in the BCC gymnasium.
