Panther Creek Park will be filled with emergency vehicles, trucks, and other specialized automobiles and equipment from nearly 30 agencies for the inaugural “Touch a Truck” event hosted by Daviess County Parks & Recreation.
The event will start at 11 a.m. on park grounds with a sensory hour to accommodate individuals with sensory-related disabilities. All lights and sounds will be either off or at a minimum during the first hour. Starting at noon, the lights and sounds will be on for the remainder of the event, which runs through 2 p.m.
Parks Director Jordan Rowe said the department looks forward to filling the grounds with people learning more about governmental agencies and other businesses.
“We’re going to have public safety vehicles and heavy equipment for more than two dozen different agencies across Daviess County. Vehicles from public utilities, police, fire, EMS, and air evacuation are going to be there, and of the utilities, landfill, and towing companies — it’s going to be really big,” Rowe said.
Rowe said this is part of a plan to encourage the community to utilize the county park system.
A handful of students got a sneak peek of the experience during a smaller-scale event at Estes Elementary School on Thursday. The Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, Owensboro Transit System, Daviess County Water District, Yager Materials, McCarty’s Pro Towing, and others were among the agencies in attendance.
Rowe said they hope to build connections and open the idea to possible career paths.
“I think it’s some positive reinforcement, and if some of these kids grow up to be police officers or firefighters, that’s wonderful,” Rowe said.
Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen said that reason is one of the big pushes for the event.
“The exposure they get to a potential career to see this equipment and to be able to sit in it and think they could someday do this as their occupation,” he said. “Most of these kids without this event would never experience or see these heavy equipment [vehicles] and these big trucks up close.”
