The Lansing Star Online, Lansing, NY

May 09 2008

Truck Show at IC3

Dan Veaner

Friday, 09 May 2008

This Saturday (May 10th) the Ithaca Community Childcare Center (IC3) on Warren Road will be holding their third annual truck show. Chaired by Julie Darby and Bethany Woodman, the truck show is the center's second biggest fund raiser for its scholarship fund. This year the pair say it is bigger and better than ever, featuring 55 vehicles of all kinds. "The SWAT bus is always a big hit," Darby says. "Police cars, ambulances. This year we have the Time Warner Weather Chaser. They're going to bring the weather van with a green screen and allow children to do a ten minute mock weather broadcast, and a video of themselves to take home free. That will be from 11 to 1. I-100 Classic Rock Radio is coming back again with Cat and Mark DJing broadcasting live from 10 to 2."

Some other unusual displays are new this year. I-100's Mark Vanness will be bringing stacking Jeeps, actual Jeeps that stack like a wheeled conga line. A concrete truck will be added this year, and everything from tow trucks to an ambulance and a fire truck will be on display, as well as a Nascar racing car from Watkins Glen. The show has become popular with exhibitors as well as with kids. "One of the towing services was waiting for us to call," Woodman says. "'Oh we've been expecting your call!' We were excited about that."

In addition, the show features a carnival atmosphere with a bounce house, a giant slide, face painting and food. But the main attraction is the trucks. The co-chairs say the kids' favorite attraction is the SWAT truck, but they have their own favorites as well. "I like the fire truck," says Woodman. "Last year we were able to go up to the top of the ladder truck and take some great pictures. Just to see everything from that perspective is awesome."

Julie Darby (left) and Bethany Woodman

"I'm really excited about the Time Warner Weather Chaser," Darby says. "I think Bethany and I might make a tape together."

This year all the show's costs are covered except for about $200. The pair has been working on a potential donor for that last piece so that the show may start entirely paid for, meaning more funding for the school. "Everybody's been great," Darby says. "The Ithaca community has given donations and been willing to be a part of it."

While this is only the third year of the show, it has grown exponentially. The first year the show made $500. Woodman says the truck show made almost $3,000 last year, with almost 1,000 attendees. "We're hoping to increase that number this year, and just go up and up and up!" Darby says.

And the women are motivated to make it grow and grow. "Our annual auction is our largest fundraiser. We think this has the potential to become our largest fundraiser. That's our goal, we're going to beat the auction. We don't run the auction, although we help out with it. So there is kind of a little rivalry we have going on."

I think the kids really enjoy it," Darby says. "As the years go on it's really going to catch on. We're hoping to keep it on the same so everybody knows Mothers' Day weekend is the IC3 Truck Show."

Woodman says that kids are excited ahead of time, and some families have even changed their plans so they can come to the truck show. Some children were upset when they missed it last year, so they're not taking any chances. She says kids ask for specific trucks, and the organizers try to get them. "You hear them in the hallway," Woodman says. "One of the little girls in my class sees a cement mixer every day on her way here. So she told her mom she wants a cement mixer at the truck show, and her mom told me."

On the day of the show the two will be busy answering calls on walkie-talkies to solve problems, pass out water, solving parking problems, and making sure everyone is happy.

"In the morning the most fun job Bethany and I have is parking all the vehicles," Darby says. "We stand in the BOCES parking lot and direct them to where they need to go. That's the best part of it in the morning, when you see those vehicles rolling up the road, and they're honking at us to let us know they're here. It kind of gives you goose bumps because you're seeing an event that came together."

"It's always a great feeling of accomplishment when all is said and done," Darby says. "We're here from 5:30 in the morning, so by 3 o'clock in the afternoon we're whooped, but we're so pumped and feel good about it."

Truck Show pictures courtesy of IC3

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