The Highland Library parking lot was overrun with different kinds of trucks during their second annual Touch a Truck and Book Sale fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 5.

The Touch a Truck event is designed for children to come and take a seat in different trucks they’ve seen around town. The children then can honk the horn, see the inside, and in some cases there are professionals outside of the trucks to teach the kids about what the trucks are used for. These include fire trucks, police cars, bulldozers, bucket trucks and cranes among others. The entrance fee was $5 and the book sale going on inside had books ranging from 50 cents to $2.

The sum of this money goes towards the library for extra funds throughout the year. This year they were expecting to make at least a thousand, but hoping for $1,500. The money goes towards things like the summer reading programs, special projects, crafts, additional computers and the 3D printer among other things.

While kids honked horns and learned about the different trucks, the library found a way to make each child feel more like an adult by giving out plastic hard hats.

The event is put on by the library and the “Friends of the Highland Library,” a non-profit organization that raises awareness for library related matters. The two organizers of the event were Lisa Gill, a library assistant, and Leslie Benson, the president of Friends of the Highland Library.

“It’s a process, but it’s a labor of love,” Gill said. “The kids absolutely love it.”

Along with the different trucks and the book sale, the event also had a bouncy house, a local food truck, and ice cream. The weather on Saturday was perfect, according to Gill and Benson. The high was 65 and sunny, an improvement on last years weather which was raining intermittently.
The Highland Rotary club was a big part of the event, and the sponsor that was responsible for the bouncy castle. Trucks were donated from all different businesses in town, as well. Town of Lloyd Police Department volunteered their police cars, Highland Fire Department offers their fire trucks. Garone’s Lawn and Landscape, Erichsens, Dilorenzo Tree Care, and Mobile Life Support all contributed equipment for the event.

“It wasn’t hard to call the trucks,” Benson said. “Everyone was eager to help.”