Youngsters check out some of the many emergency vehicles on display at the annual SCV Touch-A-Truck event.

Entertainment and attractions continue to be added to the 2017 Touch-A-Truck event benefiting the SCV Senior Center, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 17, at Central Park in Santa Clarita.

New participants come in daily from first responders, businesses and non-profit agencies with plans to participate in this year’s family-friendly event.

This year’s Touch-A-Truck is Admission is $5 for adults and children, and fathers who attend with their paying children will be admitted free in honor of the Father’s Day weekend.

The event gives guests a chance to climb on a fire engine, turn on a Sheriff’s or CHP vehicle siren or take a photo with a favorite movie vehicle. Tracy Hauser, Lauren Lefkowitz and the City of Santa Clarita are sponsors of this year’s event. Music and entertainment will be provided by DJ Greg.

The event gives guests a chance to climb on a fire engine, turn on a Sheriff’s or CHP vehicle siren or take a photo with a favorite movie vehicle. Tracy Hauser, Lauren Lefkowitz and the City of Santa Clarita are sponsors of this year’s event. Music and entertainment will be provided by DJ Greg.

The list of participating vehicles grows each year as the event’s popularity grows. There will be a face painting booth courtesy of Maria Garcia, and the Placerita Canyon Nature Center will have a booth with animals and displays to appeal to nature lovers.

The remote control cars, always a hit with youngsters and their parents, will be on hand again, racing across the event grounds. There will be free ice cream for children, courtesy of the Sheriff’s Foundation and Remax of Valencia. Remo will offer its popular drum circle, once a facilitator is onboard.

Vehicles on display will include two work trucks, a dragster, side-by-side and military Hummer from All American Mobile Repair; emergency response vehicle from American Medical Response, an F550 work truck from Castaic Lake Water District, and moving trucks from Camelot Movers and Stratton and Sons.

Waste Management will put its recycle truck on display, Burrtec will have a trash truck, and the Sheriff’s Department will bring its prisoner transport bus, command post, traditional Crown Victoria “cop car,” working truck and Tundra.

Golden Oak Ranch will send its antique 1938 fire truck, and Panorama Towing will have a tow truck on display. C.A. Rasmussen will have an assortment of tractors and earthmovers.

As always, the Fire Department will provide an assortment of emergency vehicles, which draw enthusiastic crowds of children and their parents for an up-close look. American Medical Response will have an ambulance on display. Gentle Barn will have its emergency vehicle there.

The City of Santa Clarita also will send its Vector truck, a 10-wheeler dump truck, bucket dump truck, search and rescue truck, the SCV Trolley, graffiti removal truck and an articulated bus. One of the dump trucks will be filled with beach balls, which will be dumped at 12:30 p.m., allowing children at the event to claim a free ball. Before the balls are dumped, event guests will have a chance to guess the number of balls in the truck, with donated prizes for the closest estimates.

The fire department will have an assortment of vehicles on display, and the Forestry Department has committed a fire truck and water tender, barring a large-scale fire episode. Smokey Bear has confirmed an appearance, as has Darth Vader. Other costumed characters are still in the works. The Fire Department also has reserved the county’s Shakey Quakey earthquake simulator for the event.

A variety of food trucks which will be on hand to offer their eclectic food selections for sale. Vendor booths will offer items for sale and child-friendly activities for event guests.

A Touch-A-Truck visitor enjoys a close-up visit to a City of Santa Clarita vehicle.

All proceeds will benefit the SCV Senior Center, which offers such programs as Home Delivered Meals, Senior Respite Day Care and Supportive Services to local seniors.

“Kids love vehicles,” said City Councilwoman Marsha McLean, who is serving as the event chair, “and now they will be able to touch their favorite things on wheels.” She noted that the event will offer a close-up look at a cavalcade of construction rigs, fire engines, sheriff’s cars, military vehicles, famous film industry cars, race cars and “nearly anything you can think of!”

In addition, the committee is working on such kid-friendly activities as magic shows, arts and crafts, bubbles, model building and more — all free with event admission.

Further information and registration forms are available [here].

Admission tickets can also be purchased at the gate on the day of the event.

The Shakey Quakey Schoolhouse gives Touch-A-Truck visitors a feeling of a major earthquake.

Council member Marsha McLean, who chairs the local Touch-A-Truck event, poses with a City of Santa Clarita dump truck full of beach balls. Event visitors can guess the number of beach balls to win donated prizes, and the load will be dumped just after noon, giving children a chance to scoop up free balls to take home.

Guests gather up free beach balls dumped from a City dump truck at last year’s Touch-A-Truck event. The popular attraction will be repeated at this year’s event.