MAY 5, 2019 – MADELINE SCARBOROUGH – Reporter – [email protected]
http://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/local-news/2019/05/big-truck-day-revs-up-kids-in-jackson-memorial-park/
VIENNA — Despite the forecast of rain and gray skies, hundreds of children and their parents visited the Vienna Recreation Building at Jackson Memorial Park on Saturday morning for the annual Big Truck Day.
“This is such a great event to kick off the rest of our summer events,” said Linda Kern, the event planner for the city of Vienna.
On display for children to explore were Vienna city maintenance vehicles, police vehicles, volunteer fire department trucks and construction vehicles, along with the Wood County 911 Mobile Command Center and an Easy Rider bus from the Mid-Ohio Valley Transit Authority.
One of the maintenance vehicles that was a real hit with the kids was the Vac-Truck.
“Although today we are letting kids suck up bales of hay, we really use the truck for waterline, stormdrain and sewer repairs,” said Chuck Cisler, the Vac-Truck operator.
Two other major attention grabbers were the excavator and the “opossum.”
Kids were able to climb on board the excavator and move gravel. The “opossum” is actually a remote control camera, named after its computer system that helps city workers locate waterline breaks.
“The camera can travel about 1,000 feet,” said Josh Richards, the camera truck operator.
“When a sewer or waterline breaks, we send in the camera to find the break, so that we know where to dig,” he said.
“I was a little bit worried about the weather, but I am so glad the rain is holding off,” Kern said of Saturday’s event.