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<p>KINGSTON TWP. &#8212; For many children, trucks, big rigs and other large machines are are among the most popular toys.</p><p>They&#8217;re even more popular when kids get to see them up close.</p><p>On Sunday, Once Upon A Time Preschool and Kindergarten gave area youngsters that opportunity with the debut of its &#8220;Touch a Truck&#8221; event, hosted in conjunction with the Kingston Township Fire Department.</p><p>With a $5 donation going towards the school and the Kingston Township Fire Department, children and their parents were able to see massive motor vehicles from across the Back Mountain from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.</p><p>The event was the brain child of Melissa Walter, who teaches preschool at Once Upon A Time. She was inspired by similar activities she saw while working in Maryland.</p><p>&#8220;Touch a Truck events were extremely popular in Baltimore,&#8221; Walter said. &#8220;Parents would base their weekend schedules around them. They would even travel to them.&#8221;</p><p>As the mother of three boys, Walter often frequented events like the one held Sunday on Dug Road.</p><p>&#8220;When we moved back to the area from Baltimore, people weren&#8217;t too familiar with the school,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I wanted to raise the school&#8217;s brand. Once I found out that our landlord is the Kingston Township Fire Department, I thought about hosting a Touch a Truck event.&#8221;</p><p>After Walter reached out to the Kingston Township Fire Department, they got right on board.</p><p>&#8220;We had a great dialogue,&#8221; she added. &#8220;They reached out to me saying have I heard from this person or that person. They really got a lot of other municipalities involved. I owe a lot to them.&#8221;</p><p>Fire trucks, dump trucks, a police cruiser, an ambulance, a water rescue vehicle from Harvey&#8217;s Lake and off-roading vehicles were on hand to partake in the kid-friendly event.</p><p>Becky Zimmerman, owner of Once Upon A Time Preschool and Kindergarten, was delighted to see the smiles on kids faces.</p><p>&#8220;I was disappointed when I looked at the weather forecast,&#8221; Zimmerman noted. &#8220;I got so many phone calls over the last week asking us not to cancel the event. It really showed that people were interested in a unique event.&#8221;</p><p>Games, face-painting, raffles and vendors were on hand for the children who attended the event.</p><p>&#8220;My son was relentless,&#8221; one mother said of her experience at the event. &#8220;All he wanted to see was the excavator and dump truck.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Alana Smith, 10 of Dallas smiles as she sits in a big rig truck Sunday during a Touch a Truck event that benefited Once Upon a Time Preschool and Kindergarten in Shavertown. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_ttl050619touchatruck-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Alana Smith, 10 of Dallas smiles as she sits in a big rig truck Sunday during a Touch a Truck event that benefited Once Upon a Time Preschool and Kindergarten in Shavertown. </caption0><photoCredit0>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_ttl050619touchatruck-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Lily burns, 2-1/2, of Hunlock Creek, plays a frog game during the Touch a Truck event. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_ttl050619touchatruck-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Lily burns, 2-1/2, of Hunlock Creek, plays a frog game during the Touch a Truck event. </caption1><photoCredit1>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_ttl050619touchatruck-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Andrew Smith, 5, of Dallas pulls a horn on a big rig during Sunday&#8217;s event. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_ttl050619touchatruck-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Andrew Smith, 5, of Dallas pulls a horn on a big rig during Sunday&#8217;s event. </caption2><photoCredit2>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_ttl050619touchatruck-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Brandon Smith, 14 of Dallas climbs out of a construction vehicle. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_ttl050619touchatruck-5.jpg</photo3><caption3>Brandon Smith, 14 of Dallas climbs out of a construction vehicle. </caption3><photoCredit3>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_ttl050619touchatruck-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mason Kohli, 4 of Hunlock Creek pulls the horn in a big rig. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_ttl050619touchatruck-4.jpg</photo4><caption4>Mason Kohli, 4 of Hunlock Creek pulls the horn in a big rig. </caption4><photoCredit4>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Kingston Twp. event benefits school, fire department</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dan Stokes</p><p>dstokes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Dan Stokes at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @ByDanStokes</p></shirttailMeta></div>

‘Touch a Truck’ draws excited kids