Skip to main content

Cute Overload: The 2009 Touch-A-Truck Edition

Every year, around the beginning of October, my library hosts an event called "Touch-a-Truck". As the name implies it's a children's program set-up to let the young ones explore trucks and other interesting vehicles up close. Being that motorscooters are something of a "kid friendly" mode of transportation, I usually offer to have my scooter available for the program. It's also common for me to enlist some of my scooter owning friends to put in an appearance too (the more the merrier!). While their first reaction is usually alarm (at the prospect of toddlers climbing on their bikes) they typically come around and agree to risk a little exposure to the 3-8 old set.

This year was no different, and I was lucky to have my friends Mike (proud owner of a Vespa ET150) and Mark (Vespa GranTurismo) take part in representing scooterists everywhere at the 2009 edition of "Touch-a-Truck". Joining us in the two-wheeled corral were a couple other bike owners who pitched in with an early '80s Honda Passport and an Aprilia Cento50. The other notable "non-truck" entry on hand was a 1966 Jaguar sedan (MK 2 if I'm not mistaken) that was a show stopper. While not mint by any stretch, it had that certain integrity that comes from being all original, well-maintained, and unrestored.

In the truck category there was a wide variety of types on hand; from dump trucks to bucket trucks to fire engines to moving vans. As Mark pointed out though, our scooters "held their own" against many of the larger vehicles. I expect there's something about scooters - perhaps the round lines and small wheels, or maybe the ease of access - that's particularly appealing to kids. In any event, Mark was right, there were times when every scooter was occupied and kids were waiting for a turn.

I think the kids are just adorable and seeing them at this event charms me to no end. I love having them at the Library (we always have a special storytime first), and I love the enthusiasm they show when given the chance to explore and use their imaginations. "Touch-A-Truck" has really become a family event and something I expect parents and their children look forward to. I know I do. I give "Touch-A-Truck" at Northwest Library a big thumbs up! (...and Lightning Bug Louie says "Check it out", too!).

Comments

  1. JulieOctober 8, 2009 at 3:18 PM

    Can I come work at your library, please? Because you seem to have a lot more fun that we do.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Ohio Historical Center: A Defense

A couple weeks ago I was contacted by Carrie Ghose at Business First to share my thoughts on architecture in central Ohio. The recent controversy surrounding the new Student Union at Ohio State had apparently sparked a number of conversations regarding what constitutes "good" building design. Carrie was following that story , and developing a second piece to get feedback on other notable Columbus buildings. At the time I offered a staunch a defense of what I believe might be the most maligned and misunderstood building in central Ohio, the Ohio Historical Center. Business First wasn't able to run the whole piece, so I've decided to turn it into a blog post. photo courtesy of OHS/ www.ohiomemory.org The refrain is a as old as the building itself, "It's ugly. It's just a giant brown box. It doesn't even look like a museum". Sadly, it's that exact line of thinking that poses the greatest threat to the building Architectural Record referre...
7 comments
Read more

#library30

  On Wednesday April 1, 2026 I'll be rebooting the #library30 photo challenge and inviting people to participate in this year's event. What is it? Even though I work in a library, it's not uncommon for me (and others in the field) to look to related cultural institutions for new ideas and new perspectives. That's how #library30 happened. My wife (who worked directly with museum professionals at the time), alerted me to the #museum30 initiative that had been launched by  Magnifying Zoology  in 2017. The premise was pretty simple. Participants worked from a set of daily prompts and posted pictures on social media related to the prompt along with the #museum30 hashtag. As I followed that hashtag and saw the amazing stories that were being shared, I thought, "Libraries should do that...". And #library30 was born. A plain text list of these prompts are provided at the end of this blog post.  How does it work? All you have to do is upload a photo related to the dail...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hashtag WIP

After spending much of the last six months negotiating work, planning for work, talking about work, scheduling work, rescheduling work, and waiting for weather that might accommodate work, I'm happy to report that work has commenced. The Akron almost mansion has recently enjoyed the fruits of many a laborer, and the results are becoming almost photogenic. So, in no particular order, here is an update of what's happened since my last post. A wooden door with a crystal doorknob is pictured against a light blue wall. We have removed more wallpaper. This picture is from an upstairs bedroom and is notable as that means all the wallpaper on the first floor has been removed. I like the color and composition here, and offer this as a good example of how most of the interior rooms were handled. Trim throughout the house is painted that creamy white, and all interior doors have maintained their original finish. Remember pals, these houses are only original once. A pink bathroom sink hang...
Post a Comment
Read more