Truck City AVL Returns to Showcase the Vehicles that Keep Asheville Running

Asheville -- Press Release: City of AshevilleVehicles and heavy equipment used by City of Asheville departments such as police, fire, public

works, sanitation, water, parks and

recreation, transit, and street services play a vital role in maintaining our city, public safety, parks and community centers, and water and transportation systems. These specialized vehicles and the teams that operate them have been essential to the city’s recovery following catastrophic Helene-related destruction – and kids and families have an excellent opportunity to learn about the equipment and skills required to operate them.young boy sitting in drivers seat of big truck, wearing safety vest

Asheville Parks & Recreation (APR) brings Truck City AVL to Tanger Outlets Asheville from 1-4 pm on Saturday, April 12. This community event is open to the public and free to attend. Kids (and adults) can sit in, explore, touch, and ask questions about their favorite trucks and cars – from rescue vehicles and public works equipment to utility tractors and construction machines and more! A quiet hour (no horn honking) is scheduled from 1-2 pm to provide a positive experience for those with autism, dementia, PTSD, hyposensitivity, and other sensory considerations.

“Truck City AVL is always a great time as we ‘pull back the curtain’ for community members to get an up close look at these fascinating machines,” according to D. Tyrell McGirt, APR Director. “A few months ago, we didn’t even know if young boy with toy car on race trackwe could host the event as City of Asheville staff from all departments worked around the clock on community recovery. It’s a testament to mountain spirit and civic pride that the men and women who’ve been working so hard over the past six months still felt it was important to host this unique community event that has become a tradition for many families.”

The City of Asheville’s Fire, Parks & Recreation, Police, and Public Works departments plan to showcase several vehicles including a patch truck, mowing deck, patrol vehicles, knuckle boom sweeper, excavator, bucket truck, bearcat, and more. In addition to the City’s municipal fleet, other vehicles scheduled to be on-site include Asheville Jeep Tour’s customized sightseeing Jeep, Carolina Ready Mix’s concrete young african american girl in green toy jeeppourer, Buncombe County’s crisis negotiation vehicle and EMS box truck, Metropolitan Sewerage District’s Vactor 2100, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s fish stocking truck, and a crane from Crane & Rigging Company, among others.

With over 40 vehicles, community members should plan plenty of time to explore trucks of all shapes and sizes. APR’s play experts have created multiple truck- and transportation-themed activities in the Rec n Roll Mobile Play Zone featuring games, a kids’ driving course, a roaming railroad trackless train for riding, giveaways, and more.

Tanger Outlets Asheville is located at 800 Brevard Road in Asheville. Truck City AVL takes place rain or shine in the back parking lot near the food court entrance.

Tanger Outlets Asheville

Asheville Outlets is an open-air lifestyle destination developed by New England Development. Located at the intersection of I-40 & I-26 at Brevard Road, Asheville Outlets includes over 70 retailers and restaurants, featuring some of the most popular brand names.

Asheville Parks & Recreation

With its oldest parks dating to the 1890s, Asheville Parks & Recreation manages a unique collection of more than 65 public parks, playgrounds, and open spaces throughout the city in a system that also includes full-complex recreation centers, Riverside Cemetery, sports fields and courts, and community centers that offer a variety of wellness-, education-, and culture-related programs for Ashevillians of all ages. With paved greenways and natural surface trails, its complete portfolio acts as the foundation of a vibrant hub for the people of Asheville to connect with their neighbors and explore the natural beauty of a livable and walkable city. As the city works to recover and rebound in the wake of massive destruction, some spaces are currently inaccessible.

Driven by the promise that Asheville is a better and safer place when everyone from infants to retirees has the opportunity to be supported, healthy, and successful, Asheville Parks & Recreation was the first nationally-accredited municipal recreation department in the United States. For latest updates, sign up for Asheville Parks & Recreation’s monthly newsletter,  visit  www.ashevillenc.gov/parks.