Touch a Truck 4 Benefit Rolls in to The Mall of New Hampshire

[Morgen Thiboult]

Manchester, NH - More than three dozen vehicles of all makes, models and sizes are rolling in to the Mall of New Hampshire parking lot for the fourth annual Touch a Truck event, where children can sit in, climb on and experience amazing trucks used in real life.

Touch a Truck 4 will take place on Saturday, June 2 (rain date Saturday, June 9) from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. in the mall’s food court parking lot, and is a benefit for Noah’s Ark Child Care Center in Manchester and the Mall of New Hampshire’s Simon Youth Foundation.  

A variety of vehicles will be on hand for children to explore including a Manchester Fire Department ladder truck, vehicles from Quirk Chevrolet of NH, a 142-foot crane from McGuinness Tree Service, New Hampshire Motor Speedway official pace car, a baseball-themed Murano from Merchants Automotive Group, Manchester Police Department vehicles, Holly’s Kona Ice Truck, Five Guys Burgers and Fries giant 4x4 monster truck and construction vehicles from Certified Maintenance.  

Also on display will be a replica Ghostbusters mobile, XFINITY truck, a Gentle Giant Moving Company van, a troop carrier from the New Hampshire Air National Guard, Vitaminwater van from Coca Cola of Northern New England, U.S. Cellular COLT, City of Manchester double-winged snow plow, New Hampshire State Police vehicles, Pinard Waste Systems recycling truck, Alliance Landscaping dump truck, Redimix Companies cement mixer, Precision Towing tow truck, an Easter Seals transportation bus, a 1953 military jeep and more.  

Performances by Grammy-nominated children’s musician Judy Pancoast, presented by Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion, will take place at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.  Other activities include a bounce house, face painting, an arson dog demo by the Manchester Fire Department, rides on a Roaming Railroad, ZumbAtomic class with Zumba with Marianela and visits with Max of the Manchester Monarchs and Milo from the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Advance ticket sales are underway at the Mall of New Hampshire guest services desk through May 31 and come with a VIP goody bag full of perks from area businesses like a $20 token card for Funspot, a flexpass from Chuckster’s, a coupon book from New Hampshire Fisher Cats and a coupon for The Fresh Beat Band tickets at Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion.  Those who purchase tickets in advance also get to skip the admission lines at the event and breeze through a Fast Pass lane.  One goody bag per family, while supplies last.  Touch a Truck tickets are $5 per person with a family of four or more capping at $20.  Children under age one are free.

Families can also talk with and sample products from local businesses including Fortified Insurance, Stonyfield, Miche Bags, Avon, Visalus, Thirty One Gifts, Airport Diner, NH Hospital for Children and more.  Two children’s battery-powered ride-on vehicles will be raffled off at the event, and are sponsored by Coca Cola of Northern New England and Sue Knowles Miche Bags.  

Platinum sponsors for this year’s event are the New Hampshire Union Leader, Quirk Chevrolet of New Hampshire, Merchants Automotive Group and Funspot.  Additional sponsors and donors include Fortified Insurance, Immediate Care of Southern New Hampshire, Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion, XFINITY, The Common Man’s Airport Diner, Gentle Giant, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Good Eats NH, CGI Benefits and Lindner Dental.

Touch a Truck 4 is one of several programs and events hosted throughout the year by the Mall of New Hampshire’s Simon Kidgits Club which focuses on health, wellness, education, safety and entertainment for children ages three through eight.

Noah’s Ark Child Care Center, located at 491 East Industrial Drive in Manchester, serves more than 175 families and is the largest non-profit child care center in southern New Hampshire.  Noah’s mission is to provide quality early childhood education and accessible, affordable support services for family, staff and the community.  Noah’s Ark is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Simon Youth Foundation was established in 1998 with a mission to foster and improve educational opportunities, career development, and life skills that transform the lives of at-risk youth through focused programs and initiatives with public school and post-secondary education partners.  It also distributes college scholarships to local high school seniors.

For more information about Touch a Truck 4 visit www.facebook.com/TouchATruckManchesterNH or call [phone].