If you've seen a 2 year-old race to a window when the neighborhood dump truck clatters by, you know that toddlers tend to like things that are -- like them -- loud, bright and full of dynamic energy. Trains, planes and trucks are where it's at.
Imagine, then, the excitement of seeing a shiny new fire engine and a team of firefighters pushing it into its new spot in the neighborhood. That's just what you can see on Thursday, April 26, when Plano's Fire Station 2 will hold a traditional wetdown and push-in ceremony in honor of the city's new 109 foot rear-mount aerial ladder Rosenbauer, a statement says.
Free and open to the public, the spectacle takes place at 8 a.m., tough timing for school-aged children, of course, but less so for the local preschool set enamored with Thomas the Train and Nickelodeon's STEM-forward Blaze and the Monster Machines.
What's a wetdown and why?
Dating back to the 1800s, the tradition began when neighboring fire volunteer departments would "wash" a station's new equipment -- at the time horse-drawn wagons or hand-pulled carts -- ritually anointing it before the local crew pushed the carriage into the fire house, according to fireengineering.com.
Though vehicles have long replaced carriages, those christening traditions have held, and first responders around the country often take part whenever a station acquires important new equipment.
On Thursday in Plano, attendees can help assist with the wetdown and hear Plano Fire Chaplain Robert Matthews deliver a blessing before watching the new truck's crew flex brawn and pride while pushing it into the station.
Plan your life: Plano's wetdown and push-in ceremony takes place at 8 a.m. on April 26 at Fire Station 2, located at 2630 W. 15th St.
Toddler in tow?
Here are other educational and inspirational family-friendly events coming up in the next 30 days in D-FW.