More than 1,200 people come to Bethania Lutheran Church to see, and get in, various vehicles
The weather was cool and cloudy and threatened rain, but that did not deter the over 1,200 people who attended the 9th annual Touch a Truck fundraiser at Bethania Lutheran Church on Saturday, May 3. Throngs of excited children explored all the different vehicles that were on display in the three parking lots behind the church. It was a day of family fun and exploration.
On display were earthmovers, a garbage truck that seemed to be a favorite, vehicles from the fire department, the SWAT team, the police department, emergency and rescue vehicles, construction, safety, and farming equipment, a PG&E truck, the Solvang Trolley, Dennis Beebe’s 1942 Ford-built Jeep, and colorfully decorated food trucks, to name a few.
Children excitedly climbed into the driver’s seat, anxious to explore the inside of vehicle after vehicle under the guidance of friendly professionals who spent time explaining to the children the different gadgets. Periodically horns honked, sirens screamed, buttons were pushed, and loudspeakers on police vehicles conveyed the voices of delighted children. Families with sensitive ears could attend during the designated “No Horn” hour from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
The family-friendly event also featured a range of entertainment, including face painting, custom helmet fittings, raffle prizes, and concession stands.
“One of my favorite events we do in the year is the Touch a Truck event. It brings people of all ages in the community together for such a fun time,” said Pastor Chris Brown. “It was one of our preschool parents who brought the idea of this event to us, and I thought it would be a great fundraiser. My hope this year is to raise $20,000. All of our sponsors are community members, and all of our trucks are community businesses. It’s a great representation of the community coming together. We would like to thank all of our sponsors, participants, and community members who came out to support our school.”
“We are very excited to open our doors to the community with our annual Touch a Truck event,” said Lola Gonzalez, one of the 100 volunteers who helped with the event. “We are also happy that we’ve had over 1,000 people attend the event. We had more vehicles this year for the kids to enjoy, and we have wonderful raffle prizes. Each preschool classroom comes up with a themed basket to be raffled off, and they are beautiful.”
“It was a big team effort from parents and our wonderful staff,” said Cat Uhl, chairperson for the event. “Our community family helped, sponsoring businesses and vehicle participation. We had more and different trucks this year, thanks to Valley networking. I am looking forward to another successful year. It’s fun to see the kids’ excitement. I was on the committee for four years, and this is the first time being the chairperson for the event.”
“It is amazing to see even 1-year-old children so enthralled in touching these enormous vehicles, pushing all the buttons, and climbing all over these giant machines. Even at that age, big trucks are magic to their imagination. It was wonderful to see the joy in the children’s faces,” said Jennifer Bennett.
All of the proceeds benefit Bethania Preschool and After School programs.
