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Date: 11/14/2018
WEST SPRINGFIELD – When the turkey is gone and Black Friday shopping has concluded, Raymour and Flanigan Furniture and the West Springfield Fire Department will be hosting their first Touch-A-Truck event on Nov. 24 at the Raymour and Flanigan Furniture location in West Springfield.
The free event is open to the public as a way to welcome the holiday season. Several vehicles will be on site for kids to enjoy including a fire truck, ambulance, police car, construction trucks and utility vehicles.
Mike Racicot, who is hosting the event, shared why it’s important to have this event following Thanksgiving. “I personally feel it would be good for families to attend to kick off the Christmas season. This event will hopefully bring some Christmas cheer and relieve the stress of shopping during the days after Thanksgiving. I believe that events like these bring families closer together and brings the community together.”
Free refreshments will be served at the event including hot chocolate and coffee offered by Crepes Tea House and Olive Garden. Snacks will be served as donated by THOM Child and Family Services.
Santa Claus will make an appearance between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Boomer, the mascot for the Springfield Thunderbirds, will visit from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Musical entertainment will be provided by Jon Adams, who will perform traditional island music and Christmas songs.
This is the first Touch-A-Truck event hosted by Raymour and Flanigan, but Racicot was inspired by events held in other communities. “The event came to be as a result of other local Touch-A-Truck events I have seen. We thought it would be a great idea to host a similar event but give it a holiday theme.”
Other activities at the event include face painting, balloon twisting, a sports memorabilia auction by KBK Sports, holiday wreaths for purchase by Tweed Season and a do-it-yourself painting class for children. Racicot shared, “If you come inside Raymour and Flanigan between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., for $10 you can have your child paint a holiday picture instructed by Paint Social Art. This makes for a great personalized gift for any family member.”
The Touch-A-Truck event is not the first time Raymour and Flanigan or Racicot has been involved in helping the community. “Although this event is the first Touch-A-Truck Raymour has held, we have been doing community outreach events over the past few years. We also would like to thank Crepes Tea House and Olive Garden for their participation for this event. We look forward to hosting a great event on the 24th and we hope everyone has a great time.”
The holiday Touch-A-Truck event is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Raymour and Flanigan Furniture and Mattress store located at 895 Riverdale St.