HAPPY VALLEY, Ore. — You would be hard-pressed to find anybody who had a better Tuesday than Archie Wilson. After all, not everybody celebrates a birthday with a parade of police cars and a fire truck.
"I thought it was really cool," said Archie.
Archie's mom, Danica Wilson, said because of what is going on, there was no way to have a traditional birthday party for Archie, who is turning eight. Friends and neighbors thought it would be a good idea to drive by Archie's house and wish him a happy birthday.
"I thought maybe the public safety officer of Happy Valley, because he's active, maybe he would come by and wave because he's at all the events in the park," said Danica. "I called the dispatch non-emergency line to see if he's available and they said everyone is pretty busy and we'll see what we can do."
Perhaps they were non-committal because they wanted to send more than just one officer. They ended up sending several officers. A fire truck even drove by.
"Birthday parties may not be a big deal for us," said Chief Scott Anderson of the Happy Valley Police Department. "When you're eight, a birthday party is a big deal, so if our few minutes of a parade can improve his party just a bit it's well worth it for us."
The whole thing lasted just seconds, but the memories will last a lifetime.
"It was extra special knowing these are some of the same people who can help us when we need help and here they are cheering for us," said Danica.
"Seeing Archie almost choked me up a bit," added Deputy Aaron Hawkins of the Happy Valley Police Department. "I was happy to see him jumping up and down and smiling and waving. The best part of my day for sure."