Chrissy and I are excited to tell you about — and if you live in Brooklyn or nearby, invite you to! — a cool event we’ve been working on since last November. And by “working on,” I mean “devoting our lives to.” It’s been fun, but also overwhelming (more on that in another post. Maybe.)
Anyway, on to Touch-a-Truck Brooklyn!
What it is: A fun, exciting event where kids can climb in the driver’s seat of the trucks they see in everyday life — and some unusual ones, too — to “drive” and explore them with the help of the person who brought the vehicle. Admission: $5 a person; kids under two FREE. All proceeds will benefit the arts programs at P.S. 295, The Studio School of Arts & Culture (the elementary school Jasper and Magnolia attend.)
Vehicles scheduled to come include:
* FDNY fire engine
* NYPD police cruiser
* garbage truck
* tow truck
* dump truck
* concrete mixer
* ambulance
* vintage Airstream trailer
* a moving van
* The Truck Farm, a traveling garden and CSA
* The BioBus, a mobile science lab on wheels — sponsored by Target!
* vintage soda truck + other vintage cars from the Brooklyn Antique Automobile Association
* The Chip Shop delivery car, a funky little British ride
* and more!
There will be yummy food, too: Know how popular NYC food trucks have become? Well, we’ll have some of the best on hand selling sweet and savory treats:
* Frites ‘N’ Meats, selling their amazing burgers, fries, and hot dogs
* Country Boys Foods, selling delicious tacos and more — they’re one of the famed vendors from the uber-popular Red Hook ball fields
* The Treats Trucks, selling a variety of yummy sweet treats to please both kids + parents.
Where the idea for Touch-a-Truck came from: As New York City’s public schools face dire budget cuts, parents are looking for new and creative ways to raise money to benefit them. Chrissy and I attended a Touch-a-Truck fundraiser at a school in Connecticut and thought it would be cool to transport the idea to Brooklyn. So, yo — we did!
And we got some generous sponsors on board to help — TAT would like to thank:
Target * Union Market * Greschlers’ Hardware * Stomping Ground Photography * Quadrozzi Concrete * Park Slope Plumbing * Paul Signs * Sidecar * Astoria Federal Savings * Eagle Provisions
So mark your calendar and come join us! With help from others, we’ve worked hard to make this happen for P.S. 295, our children, and kids all over Brooklyn.
Now let’s get down with some big, bad trucks — and awesome food — on April 9! See you there!
Melisa
Shiny Brite 
My 7-year-old is always climbing into the driver’s seat, so we can’t wait for this!
We’re so excited! I’m sure all the blood, sweat and tears will be worth it in the end 🙂
Love the idea and special kudos to Melisa for wroking extra hard on this project. (Chrissy worked hard too) We’ll be there!!
Mom
You two get the Coolest Mommies Ever Award!!!
I’m sending some NY friends to come in our place.
Hope it’s a ginormous success.
xoxo
Are we too far away to support a Brooklyn public school? Because we certainly have two kids who would be thrilled to touch all of these trucks, and two parents who would love some good NY food. Great job to the two of you!
awww, thanks everybody for the support and excitement! we appreciate it! our fingers are crossed, too, that it will be a big success. (amy: have your friends find us + say hi! we’ll be the two moms running around like insane people.) 🙂
Yay! I’ve been so jealous of my suburban friends, who get to take their kids to a touch-a-truck event. GREAT idea!
thanks, debbie! hope that means we’ll see you there!
Absolute genius!!! I will definitely be there and will tell everyone with kids in bklyn that i know- a great event for a great cause!
Good for you. my daughter is in public school and hear you on coming up with a cool fundraiser.
Hope to make it out and support my fellow public school parent.