POULSBO — Merchants in Poulsbo Village are enjoying the calm before the storm as the shopping center prepares for the 17th annual Touch A Truck event Saturday.

Tow trucks, buses, fire trucks, a police car and even a cement-mixing truck and a garbage truck will all be part of this year’s event, said Poulsbo Village Property Manager Beverly Lyon.

“We start getting phone calls from tourist organizations and other people at the beginning of the year about the event,” Lyon said of Touch a Truck, which will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Kids of all ages will have the opportunity to sit behind the wheel of various vehicles during the event, she explained.

“It is a very noisy event and there’s no age limit to honk a horn,” she said with a chuckle.

The idea for the event originated in Oregon when a former Executive Director of the Greater Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce mentioned that Sprint had done a similar event, Lyon explained.

“We thought it would be a really good idea to do in Poulsbo and for a number of years, it was jointly sponsored between the chamber of commerce and Poulsbo Village Merchants Association,” she said.

Even though the chamber no longer sponsors the event, the PVMA has made it an annual rite of summer in Little Norway.

“Our tenants may not make a lot of sales but it gives them exposure,” Lyon said, noting that the event typically attracts about 1,000 visitors.

Several merchants like Allied Cash and Starbucks actively participate in the event, she said.

“Allied Cash has goody bags made for everybody and Starbucks usually hands out free ice cream samples,” Lyon said.

While Touch A Truck has a long history, the Poulsbo Farmers Market is offering visitors the opportunity to touch something else at the event: a tractor.

“We’re going to have at least five tractors that I know of and there’s the potential for four more,” said Market Manager Jackie Aitchison.

Since Poulsbo Village has traditionally hosted the truck event, market organizers thought it would be a good idea to bring tractors to the area, Aitchison explained.

“David Lambert is going to bring a 1939 Farmall and Bill Jones brought down a brand new John Deere that was a real deluxe model last year, so we’re going to have a variety of tractors,” she said.

The event, which is now entering its second year, has enjoyed the support of the PVMA and has been well-received, Aitchison said.

“It gives people an opportunity to enjoy the farmers’ market as well as Touch A Truck,” she said.