Parents looking for a way to cut back on summer entertainment spending without compromising their children’s high standards of fun should mark their calendars for the Touch-A-Truck event, which will be held on Saturday, August 7th from 10 am to 2 pm.

Touch-A-Truck will offer a day packed with fun and entertainment and promises to put excited smiles on the faces of all members of the family, even the ones footing the bill.

Youngsters will not only be able to feast their eyes on dozens of trucks of all shapes, sizes, and functions, but they will be allowed to climb on and explore them to their hearts content.

Included in the price of admission are kids’ face-painting and tattoos, live music from Madison’s own teen-age band "Spazz Attack", a "Tumblebus" gym on wheels, and a tour of the Madison Central Railroad Club’s model railroad displayed on a thirty foot platform. Also featured will be affordable fire truck t-shirts and a basket raffle where inexpensive tickets could yield fantastic prizes like a brand new bike, a ride in the "Ghostbuster Mobile," and a shopping spree in downtown Madison.

The parking lots of the Madison Public Library at 39 Keep Street and the Madison Area YMCA across the street, along with a section of Keep Street, will be transformed into a playground for the event. Families might not beat the heat, but youngsters are sure to feel super-cool for the day. Hugely popular when the event made its debut back in 2008, "Touch-A-Truck" is brought to Madison by the Friends of the Madison Public Library in cooperation with the Madison Area YMCA and the Rotary Club of Madison. All proceeds will benefit the Madison Public Library, which has been struggling to cope with recent budget cuts, and faces even more drastic reductions in funding with Governor Christie’s proposed state budget.

Admission for Touch -A-Truck will be $8 for advance purchases (before July 31) for toddlers to age 12, and $10 for same day purchases. Tickets for teens and adults are $5. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are on sale now at the Madison Public Library, 39 Keep Street. Purchases may also be made through the mail, by sending your name, address, telephone, and email address, along with a check payable to the Friends of the Madison Public Library. No tickets will be mailed back; advance purchasers will check into "Prepaid ticket" tables on August 7. Tickets can be purchased or printed from the Friends website at www.friends-mpl.net and mailed back to the library.

Sponsors for Touch-A-Truck are still being sought. Anyone interested in sponsoring this event can print a sponsorship form from the Friends website at www.friends-mpl.net or call the library at 973-377-7905.

The Library Friends would like to thank all sponsors as of July 22, including Monster Truck Level sponsors ($1,000 and above): Madison Area YMCA, Whole Foods Market, Madison Central Railroad Club, Investors Savings Bank, FCG Advisors LLC, The Rotary Club of Madison, L’allegria Restaurant, The Madison Public Library Board of Trustees and Mayor Mary-Anna Holden, the Breckman/Landau family; Two anonymous donors; Fire Truck Level sponsors ($500-$999): One Source Communications, MACRO Consulting Group. .Police Car Level sponsors ($250-499): Coviello Brothers, Hilltop Community Bank, Nautilus Diner, Dana W. Stokes, Pipe Works Services Inc, Nancy and Joe Adamczyk, Dr. Dennis Coyle; Anonymous donor;Ambulance Level sponsors ($100-249): Bradley and Son Funeral Home, Chatham Express, Inc., Monk Painting, Bottle Hill Pharmacy, Madison Cleaners, Leslie A. Hart, Sue Idleman, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Grohol, Mary Beth Cooney, Madison Bicycle Shop, The Floor Store, Rebecca and Andrew Moody, Lincoln Mayflower, PC Problems, Libby and Chuck Elmendorf, the Hunoval Family, Catharine and Chris Helck and Family, Passaic Valley Coach, Alfred’s Sporting Goods, Sylvia and David Luber, Peggy and Kirk Oakes, Woodland Bakery, Peter and Joan Rogers, Cathie Coultas, J & M Home and Garden, Paul Lozier.