The excitement of big trucks, flashing lights and a little bit of local history brought families together Friday as the Palos Park Police Department and Palos Fire Protection District hosted a Touch a Truck event on the Village Green.
Held Aug. 7, the event gave children and residents a chance to climb inside a fire truck, explore a police vehicle and meet the officers and firefighters who serve their community.
Despite temperatures reaching nearly 90 degrees, the event drew a strong crowd of families who came out to enjoy the afternoon and spend time with local first responders. Kona Ice helped everyone beat the heat by providing snow cones for attendees to enjoy while visiting with police officers and firefighters.
The event featured a Palos Park police vehicle, a fire truck and a special piece of local history — a 1948 Farmall Cub tractor owned by Lemont resident Dave Moeller. The vintage tractor, originally built by International Harvester as a small utility tractor for farmers, gave children a chance to climb aboard and experience a piece of agricultural history.
Palos Park Police Officer Rebecca Duffy, who organized the event, said creating opportunities for officers and residents to interact outside of emergency situations is something she values.
“I am super passionate about community engagement,” Duffy said.
Duffy said events like Touch a Truck allow residents to meet local officers in a relaxed environment, helping children and families feel more comfortable and familiar with the people who protect and serve the community.
The afternoon was filled with conversations, questions and plenty of smiles as families explored the vehicles and learned more about the work of local police officers and firefighters.
The event was part of the same community-building spirit behind National Night Out, a nationwide initiative that began in 1984 to encourage stronger relationships between residents and public safety officials. More than 38 million neighbors in 17,000 communities across the country have participated in events focused on neighborhood connections, public safety and community partnerships.
