Elmhurst families can climb inside fire trucks, squad cars and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile at the Elmhurst Park District's free Touch a Truck event Saturday, Sept. 5, at Berens Park.

Admission is free.

The event runs 9 a.m. to noon in the park's east parking lot at 493 N. Oaklawn Ave. The first hour, 9 to 10 a.m., is a designated quiet hour with no horns, sirens or flashing lights for children sensitive to loud noise.

Beyond the Wienermobile, the park district's event page lists more than a dozen vehicles: ambulances, dump trucks, excavators, a concrete mixer, a street sweeper, a pet grooming van, a school bus and squad cars among them. Kids can also ride a fire truck slide sponsored by Chick-fil-A and a dump truck slide sponsored by Duly Health and Care. The Includers Club will staff a "Take a break" tent.

Beam-signing ties event to Wagner Center

The event doubles as a chance to become part of the new Joanne B. Wagner Community Center. General contractor McHugh Construction and joint venture partner Nacional Group will bring a large structural steel beam for attendees to sign. That beam will be permanently installed inside the 127,250-square-foot facility now rising at 615 N. West Ave., according to the park district.

Elmhurst Park District voters approved a bond referendum Nov. 5, 2024. The Wagner center, budgeted at $84.95 million, is the largest of six projects the referendum funds. Construction began in late 2025, Shaw Local reported. The park district's August 2026 progress report shows excavation and foundation concrete pours in all four main areas are complete, and a StormTrap stormwater management system has been installed. The facility is on schedule to open in fall 2027 and remains within budget.

Park Board President Kevin Graf said July 23 on the district's referendum updates page, "Our residents have been an essential part of this process from the beginning, sharing their vision during the Elevate Elmhurst Parks planning, providing feedback on projects during multiple open houses, answering our voter survey and then voting … We are pleased to be able to deliver their vision."

The finished center will feature a free three-lane walking and jogging track, a gymnasium for pickleball, basketball and volleyball, an artificial turf field, expanded dance and gymnastics studios, an indoor children's play area and dedicated preschool spaces.

What to know before you go

Parking is in Berens Park's west lot. Food trucks on site include Billy Bricks on Wheels, Kona Ice, Smallcakes of Elmhurst and Travelin' Tom's Coffee Truck. The event is rain or shine; in severe weather, check the Rainout Line or the Elmhurst Park District Facebook page.

Touch a Truck is sponsored by The Katris Law Group, The Schiller Team and Aqua Knight Plumbing.