The objective was to bring a national event to Chautauqua County, which allowed children to explore and engage with iconic vehicles like police cruisers. The first-year event was sponsored by Partners in Kind.

“(Touch-a-Truck) is something different,” co-organizer Joel Biscaro said. “It’s something that is going to make the kids’ imaginations run wild. Kids think about trucks; they play with trucks, boys and girls alike. But now they can get in them and say, ‘Oh my God, this is really cool.'”

Chautauqua County sheriff’s deputy Brian Hanner joined the event with his police car and equipment. He enthralled children as they hopped in the driver seat and experienced the police lights flash. Along with Hanner, there were close to 25 organizations that participated.

“It’s great that people come here unpaid (and) not looking for anything other than to put smiles on kids’ faces,” Biscaro said. “That’s what it is all about.”

OBSERVER Photo by Andrew David Kuczkowski New York State Trooper Andrew Musial shares a laugh while presenting his vehicle during the Touch-a-Truck event at the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds on Saturday. The event, which was coordinated by Partners in Kind of Chautauqua County, had all kinds of vehicles including police, buses, dump trucks, pick up trucks and more.

Biscaro said the event is similar to a now defunct festivity called Share-a-Dream. The other co-organizers include Melissa Pietrkiewicz (the founder of Partners in Kind), Charlene Biscaro and Chelsea Ganey.

Pietrkiewicz began Partners in Kind because, as social worker, she saw the needs that area residents have and wanted to find a way to fill them.

“There’s so many gaps. We aim to meet the needs that are not being filled at other agencies,” she said. “We promote communitywide acts of service; we recently served Easter baskets to people who get Meals on Wheels. … We are really trying to remind people there is good here in Chautauqua County.”

Now 160 members strong and one successful event in the books, she sees an impact the group can make.

“For our first year to have this much community support,” Pietrkiewicz began, “it really shows me that we have a place here in Chautauqua County and this is where we need to be because when the opportunity is on the table, people will always show up for us. We will show up for them when the time comes.”