One would normally find the parking lot of a library to be filled with your everyday, ordinary cars, but the Franklin Community Library parking lot in Elk Grove was anything but ordinary on Sept. 21.

It was the site of the second annual “Big Wheels: Going Places with the Library” event. Food trucks, lowriders, RV’s, police cruisers, an e-tran bus, swat cars, dumpster trucks and, for the first time ever, the famous Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.

The free event went from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and was open to the public. It was created and hosted by the Sacramento Public Library in conjunction with National Library Card Drive Sign-Up month.

“It’s in honor of National Library Card Drive Sign-Up month,” said Kati Sarrade, a librarian and head of the event. “September happens to be National Library Card Drive Sign-Up month and I wanted to encourage people to come out to the library to see all of the different things that we offer and get library cards.”

It is not only important to inform the community about the library as a resource, but that it can be a fun place to learn, and build solidarity.

“I really hope that people get a chance to connect with the folks who came out today and learn about what they do and get a sense of appreciation for who our neighbors are,” Sarrade said.

The process of getting all of these organizations and their vehicles out to the event is no easy task. A large part of the event’s success depended on the generosity and benevolence of the people.

“It’s hard to get someone to volunteer and spend a full day,” Sarrade said. “We had the guy with the Radio Flyer car; he drove all the way from Alameda this morning to show off his vehicle. We have a lot of people who are really willing to donate their time.”

One of the challenges for this year’s event was to make it bigger and better than the previous.

“We’ve all been working together to make this [event] better than the one last year,” Jessica Troung, 25, Library Tech Assistant with the Franklin Community Library, said.

The event featured around 20 display vehicles from about 20 different local businesses and organizations, including the Sacramento SPCA, Waste Management, SMUD, UTI, Elk Grove Police Department, US Coast Guard and Pepsi.

In addition, there was a raffle for prizes donated by local businesses for those who felt lucky, horses to pet for the animal lovers, a remote-controlled robot that spoke to kids for the tech savvy and story time inside the library for those keen on storytelling.

Many of the organizations participating in the event were there to inform the public.

“What we do here is that we try to get the word out, like ‘do the kids need to wear their life jackets’ and if people have questions about boating,” said Carla Rose, Flotilla Commander and 10-year volunteer with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. “We’re here to answer any questions they have.”

Being able to get up close and personal with the vehicles and its gadgetry really enhanced the overall experience for the attendees.

“I think it gives the little one more of an opportunity to see the trucks and the cars up close and personal instead of just seeing them drive by on the street, so that way they won’t be as scared of them as they are driving by,” Richard Vanderzanden, an event-goer and a father of an 18-month-old boy, said.

For more information about upcoming events with the Sacramento Public Library, visit saclibrary.org/home/events.