Published: July 08, 2009 10:04 am      

Touch-A-Truck

Children come out for Corbin Public Library’s Touch-A-Truck Day

By Bobbie Poynter / Community Editor

Nearly 60 kids ages infant to teen turned out Tuesday for Corbin Public Library’s Touch-A-Truck Day held in the Vintage House parking lot — soon to be the library’s new location. Participating in the vehicle display was a Corbin Post Office mail truck, several different trucks used by City Utilities, a Waste Management garbage truck, the comedic Wallen’s Tow Chuck, and the Chill Out ice cream truck.

Not only did the children get an up-close and personal look at all the City Utilities vehicles, but Doug Lawson, a lineman with City Utilities, donned the heavy electrical barrier coveralls and gloves worn by utility employees and gave the children the chance to see just how much protection is required for a City Utilities electrician’s job.

Steve Carmichael, City Utilities electrical superintendent, sees these simple static displays as a way to help educate the children on the different professions.

“The idea is to give the children a chance to see up close the actual vehicles and people that come out in the middle of the night to turn their lights back on,” said Carmichael. “It’s also a way of showing the older kids that there are good-paying skilled trade jobs out there, even if you can’t always afford to get a college degree.”

After an hour in the hot sun, the children (and parents) cooled down with an ice cream treat off the Chill Out ice cream truck, which by the end of July will be under new ownership. Ed Rice has been learning the ropes of mobile ice cream sales from Wendell Harris, brother of the current owner. Rice plans to continue covering the routes of the previous owners with plans to expand into Knox County. The current phone number to book a visit from the ice cream man, 620-7045, will change to 521-2695 at the end of July.

Desaree Martin, 4-year-old granddaughter of Ron Martin, got her first taste of an orange push-up during a recent visit to Richmond. Desaree was not the least concerned with who the new ice cream man was going to be. All she knew is that the ice cream man could now come to her, and she would no longer have to convince Grandpa to take her all the way to Richmond to get one of the cool, sweet orange push-ups.