By Sean Sullivan

Alan of Ashland took part in a most original ride-along this summer.

Coordinated by a local chapter of the “Make-A-Wish” foundation, the 4-year-old was adopted for a day by municipal contractors, allowing him to fulfill a longtime dream of riding in a common but under-considered conveyance.

Work vehicles have long occupied a place of celebrity status for young boys. They’re in demand and arrive as toys for birthdays and holidays, play a central role in many a backyard action or creative scenario.

Certain species of these cars and trucks hold a special place in the hearts of children who play with them. Dump trucks and bulldozers occupy the construction category. The excitement associated with emergency vehicles another.

Alan’s favored vehicle belongs to a class all its own. The garbage truck.       

At first blush, these vehicles and their occupants might lack the glamour of their more-famous municipal cousins. They seem bereft of the authority of the black and white cruiser, blue lights flashing as it races toward some urgency. Or the unmistakable rumbling engine of a massive red fire truck, sirens and red strobe signaling regular traffic to pull aside and let the crew pass.

But a moment’s deliberation proves the garbage truck and those who ride it just as indispensable as police and firefighters. Entertain the thought experiment of how you would otherwise dispose of the bags of refuse that accumulate weekly in our homes, and the sight of a passing garbage truck should inspire perennial gratitude (perhaps even a pang of patriotism).

“Like many kids,” noted his mother Lola, “Alan has alwaysbeen interested in big trucks.”

This particular one is a frequent passerby of Alan’s home, she added, which likely plays a role in her son’s affinity for the vehicle. It’s also green, his favorite color.

“And of course it can dump and smash things!”

Alan is living with cystic fibrosis, which has manifested for him as severe digestive symptoms. He has undergone two surgeries so far, and his protocol includes daily medications and treatments.

Alan’s brother Theo, aged 7, is also coping with the disease and is planning to take part in his own Make-A-Wish adventure soon. The older sibling favors the more-common fire truck as his vehicle of choice.

Alan’s ride-along in mid-July saw him seated next to his father and the driver of the truck. Their journey began in West Boylston, where he and his brother punched a time clock and met the rest of the crew.

A safety video was part of Alan’s initiation also, and his family dined on donuts with workers before setting out onto the route. Some celebratory honking of other fleet vehicles was also part of the big send-off.

The route brought them from West Boylston back to Alan’s hometown, where a crowd of Ashland friends and family welcomed the travelers with celebratory cheer.

“Alan enjoyed the parade of big trucks, both before and after the journey,” recalled Alan’s mother. “I think his favorite part was getting to work the route in Ashland. He learned how to wheel the bins to the right place, and pull the levers so the truck would pick up, dump, and crush the recycling.”

The local chapter of Make-A-Wish that made Alan’s ride-along a reality did the same for the diverse dreams of about 150 kids over the course of this summer. Alan’s big day was also made possible in cooperation with Waste Management, the refuse and recycling company that Ashland contracts with.

“Behind the scenes, Alan’s wish took months of careful planning by WM employees,” said Sean Holleran in a press release. He is CEO of Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Those preparations included “creating a special route to be flexible to Alan’s choices on his wish day.

“What a testament to the ripple effect of a wish to inspire and uplift not just a wish child and their family, but the community, too.”