By Kathleen Seiler Neary
Special to The Washington Post
Friday, May 2, 2008

Kids can be downright obsessed with construction sites, trash day and police sirens, but it's rare that they can get close enough to their favorite machines to touch them. Taking pretend play to a whole new level, next week's Big Truck Days in Herndon is a chance for kids to climb into the driver's seat, grab the steering wheel and pound on the horn of 15 or so machines.

Every year, the town's Department of Public Works has trotted out a sampling of the 200-plus pieces of equipment in its fleet for the free event. Kids are given nearly full rein of a snowplow, street sweeper, bucket truck, leaf pickup truck, dump truck, Bobcat, trenching machine, tractor, trash truck, police cruiser or police motorcycle, and other giant gear.

"The favorites are always anything that's big and makes a lot of noise," says Bob Boxer, Herndon's director of public works. "And Bobcats are good for the littler kids -- they're more their size."

At last year's Big Truck Days, my then-20-month-old son and his cousins stomped around in the bed of a pickup, camped out in the shovel of a front loader and "talked" on the radio in the cab of some other giant truck. (My skills in identifying trucks go only so far.)

The trucks are safe for kids to climb on: The air brakes are emptied, emergency brakes are engaged and, of course, there are no keys. Hay bales to step on are placed next to equipment high off the ground.

When they're not drooling over the things that go, tykes can check out a traffic light and learn safety lessons. This year, there will be a flashing pedestrian signal so kids can practice safely crossing the street, and a display will feature a jumble of trash and recyclables for kids to sort. All the while, public works employees roam around the event, in the parking lot of the maintenance facility for the town's equipment, answering questions and fostering an appreciation for what goes into maintaining a town.

Big Truck Days is free with no tickets or reservations needed (except for large groups). Freebies include coloring books, yellow plastic hard hats and snacks.

Started in 1998 as a one-day event for the community to peek at the town's trucks, the event grew to five days in 1999 with 650 visitors; last year nearly 2,400 people came through (but it's rare that there's a wait to get on the trucks).

Big Truck Days Herndon Public Works Complex, 1479 Sterling Rd., Herndon (enter at Rock Hill Road) Hours: Monday-Thursday from 9 to 3, May 9 from 9 to 7 Info:703-435-6860. http://www.herndon-va.gov. Admission: Free. (Donations of nonperishable food will be collected for LINK, an emergency support organization.) Big Truck Days Herndon Public Works Complex, 1479 Sterling Rd., Herndon (enter at Rock Hill Road) Hours: Monday-Thursday from 9 to 3, May 9 from 9 to 7 Info:703-435-6860. http://www.herndon-va.gov. Admission: Free. (Donations of nonperishable food will be collected for LINK, an emergency support organization.)