Touch-A-Truck Comes To The County Fair

Children of all ages wil have an opportunity to see and touch an escavator, a bucket truck and other large equipment when the 37th Annual Monmouth County Fair features a Touch-A-Truck event for the length of the festival.

The fair opens at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the East Freehold Park Showgrounds on Kozloski Road, Freehold, and runs through Sunday.

Children will be able to try on some public works safety vests and helmets and control traffic signals as part of an interactive display of equipment, according to a release.

“We’re very excited about the ‘Touch a Truck’ feature at the Public Works and Engineering exhibit,”  John P. Curley, deputy freeholder director, said in a release. “People see county vehicles all over the county, but here they can see them up close and find out how they work. It gives our young people a chance to experience what it’s like to sit behind the wheel of some of our heavy duty equipment.”

The Touch-A-Truck event, is part of county government push to increase visibility at the fair, the release says.

Jumping off this year's fair theme — “Monmouth County, The Place You Want to Be” — the county will staff a booth in the main vendor tent area, featuring resources from the departments of consumer affairs, health, human services, Brookdale Community College, care centers, workforce development, library system, fire academy and public information, the release says.

Presented by the county park system in cooperation with the county 4-H Association, the fair maintains the agricultural nature of a traditional county fair with its Home and Garden Competition, petting farm and 4-H animal shows and exhibits, the release says.

 “The fair is an opportunity for the Park System and the 4-H Association to showcase themselves,” Freeholder Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the park system, said in the release. “Residents get to see chickens, rabbits, pigs, goats, sheep, cows and horses up close. Most of the animals are cared for by the youth of the 4-H Association who take responsibility for the animals year round. These youngsters represent the future and viability of our agricultural community – we should all support their efforts.”

The fair runs Wednesday through Sunday, July 27 to 31. Gates are open 5 to 11 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27, Thursday, July 28, and Friday, July 29; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, July 30, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 31.

The Fair is held at East Freehold Park Showgrounds on Kozloski Road, between Routes 33 and 537 in Freehold Township. Admission is $7 for adults. Children 12 and under are free at all times.

For more information call: 732-842-4000 or visit www.visitmonmouth.com.