That's the message of the second annual Highway Interdependence Day Celebration, an event that brings together motorists, truck drivers, emergency workers, law enforcement and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to promote highway safety. The free event will be held Sept. 10, 2005, at the Lackawanna County Stadium in Moosic, Pa., off Highway 81.
"We're trying to show how we all have to work together to reduce the stress on the highway, to feel safer and be safer," says event creator Sheryl Youngblood, Ph.D., host of the KnightTime Radio Show.
The event, described as "truck drivers throwing a big party for the public," aims to dispel stereotypes about truckers and promote cooperation among those who share the road, through activities like truck rides, antique truck exhibitions, recovery and rescue demonstrations, bicycle licensing, games and more.
Last year's celebration was such a huge success that the 2005 event will be 50 percent larger. One new attraction is a People's Choice competition for the best truck, including a category that lets kids choose a favorite.
"At last year's event, I'd hear everyone asking each other, 'What's your favorite?' " Youngblood says. "There's such a natural interest in trucks."
Another new event is a performance by Missouri singer Sunny Aaron, whose smooth vocals have drawn comparisons to Elvis Presley.
For more information on the event or to register for the truck competition, visit the Web site www.highwayinterdependenceday.com or call toll-free, (877)-234-6362 (87Radiodoc).
"It's really a grassroots effort," Youngblood says. "Truck drivers have taught me so much, and that's something we, at KnightTime Radio, want to pass onto the people."
