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The ordinarily quiet environment of the Clark County Public Library gave way to the delighted cries of children and the presence of large vehicles on Wednesday.

Fire trucks, police cars and even a street cleaner were on hand to give area youth a look at the vehicles that keep Winchester safe and clean during the library youth services first-ever touch-a-truck event.

Youth Services Director Misty Strain said that the event was something the staff thought children in their summer reading program might enjoy.

We just thought this might be something that people would be interested in coming to,” she said.

Immediately the staff started brainstorming who to invite.

“We just thought of different people that we knew, or we called the fire department and the police department,” Strain said.

The enthusiasm for the event and the turnout for it was a surprise for the youth services staff.

Right now, the last I counted, I was going around, and we were at 23,” Strain said.

The Winchester Police Department was thrilled to get the invitation, especially since it fits into a new department initiative.

“We’ve started a lot of new initiatives for community outreach this year, as you’ve probably seen on our Facebook page,” said Sgt. Monty Corbett. “We are trying to really get our department out there to let people know that police are people too and that we want to interact with our community.”

Police personnel on hand had the privilege of reading “Officer Buckle and Gloria” to the children before the event.

Corbett said he hopes that interacting with the officers will help children feel less intimidated by law enforcement.

“We just like to talk to him and tell them hello and let them see a familiar face that’s wearing a badge. We let them know that we’re not the enemy. We’re the good guys. They need to come to us whenever they need help,” he said.

Lt. Ethan Brogli of the Winchester Fire Department had the same hopes as Corbett.

Well, I think one thing I’d like for him to get out the most is to see us just like they would their parents or other people in the community and not be afraid,” Brogli said. “We’re here to help. We’re there to serve and are there to be a familiar face…We appreciate the opportunity to get out and take advantage of seeing the community and having the opportunity to invest in the younger generation.”

Of course, it was also an opportunity for the firefighters and officers at the event to show off the tools of their respective trades.

“They get to see the lights and get familiar; that way they know that every time they see lights, it’s not a bad thing,” Brogli said. “They’re able to honk the horn see the lights drive, not drive, but practice moving the steering wheel a little bit. So it’s a great opportunity to see the truck from the inside and not the outside.”

“We let them go into the cruisers and turn on the sirens and the lights to get a feel for it. They really seem to love it,” Corbett said.

Youth services staff noted how excited the children were as well.

“One little boy brought his little fire engine, and he was like, mystified by the actual live my fire engine. So that was a lot of fun,” Strain said

Winchester resident Christy Greeman brought her two children to the event and came away grateful for what they learned.

“I just think they learned how to be respectful to their first responders and just people that do general work around the area and take care of our streets and keep them clean and keep them protected,” she said.

Sun reporter Matt Cizek also contributed to this story.