It’s carnival season for Centre County fire companies. Here’s what your support means
It’s parade and carnival season in Centre County. For many local fire departments, these events make up the majority of their budget, so community involvement is key for continued success and service.
The Gregg Township Fire Company has been working daily for three months to organize its annual parade and carnival, which will run through Saturday. Gregg Township Fire Company Chief Scott Breon said the three-day event provides the company with the funds to pay most of its bills and buy new gear.
“We have a lot of people that have a hand in making everything go really smooth, which takes a lot of time for the people who also work full-time jobs,” he said.
The fire company’s carnival, held outside the village along Route 45, will include tractor pulls for adults and kids, a dunk tank, a Nerf gun shooting range and more. Breon will brave the dunk tank on Saturday, along with the company’s assistant chiefs and some local elected officials. Breon said he is “absolutely” looking forward to having fun with those who try to dunk him.
“It’s a great idea,” he said. “I work with kids every day, and I have a lot of fun with it. I can make fun of kids, and they can make fun of me.”
Fire departments across the country have seen a decline in members and an increase in demand on current volunteers. From having to replace a broken pumper and truck, Gregg Township Fire Company has been faced with a series of challenges this past year. Having to buy new equipment, Breon said the company has felt the heat when it comes to high costs and a decrease in volunteers.
Breon said the company and event organizers recognize the importance and value of these events, so they do their best to incorporate new events and unique prizes.
“The community’s important for everything,” Breon said, adding that the company “doesn’t do it cheap” because they want to increase community participation and support.
The parade will kick-start the weekend festivities at 7 p.m. Thursday in the YMCA parking lot. The route will run from Long Street to School Street to state Route 45 and end at the carnival grounds.
Gregg Township Fire Company wants this year’s parade to be the biggest in history, Breon said. Community members, organizations and groups are invited to participate and show their support for the company.
Live music begins at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights at the carnival grounds, and tractor pulls will take place throughout Saturday. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase over the course of the weekend. For more information and a full schedule of events, visit the Gregg Township Fire Company’s Facebook page.
“It takes a lot of good people to organize,” Breon said.
Other fire companies also use carnivals as a fundraising tool. Pleasant Gap Fire Company hosted its carnival last weekend, featuring a chicken barbecue, music entertainment, raffles and a baked goods auction. The company also organizes an Easter egg hunt each year to raise funds.
Bellefonte’s Logan Fire Company held its annual parade at the beginning of July to raise proceeds for its 100% volunteer-run station. Throughout the year, Logan Fire Company also uses raffles, spaghetti dinners and chicken barbecue events to help garner community support.
Howard Fire Company’s biggest event is its Fall Punkin’ Chunkin’ Festival, said Chief Mark Ott. The festival contributes to 25% of the company’s budget each year.
Howard does its best to rais funds throughout the year with barbecues, fish fries and spaghetti dinners, but Ott said organizing events takes a lot of time and additional volunteers.
Between being a volunteer firefighter and donating time to help plan events, Ott said there’s less people involved, which poses a number of problems for the company to overcome.
“We have a lot less people, and it’s just adding to the burden,” Ott said. “There’s a lot less people to do it, and they’re burned out.”
Due to a decline in volunteers, Ott said Howard has cut back on its chicken barbecues. He said the company had to cancel its plan to host the annual chicken barbecue in July because there wasn’t enough time to plan and organize. Howard hopes to have one planned in the fall. During the spring, the company’s community yard sale helps raise money to help pay for the department’s expenses. Usually, the sale generates an additional $3,000, Ott said.
He added: “$3,000 in this day and age doesn’t go very far.”
For its 2019 October fall festival, Ott said Howard Fire Company is happy to have purchased a new air cannon to launch pumpkins into Foster Joseph Sayers Lake. He hopes more community members will support the company by attending the event.
“If that brings us in $25,000 a year, it’s worth it,” Ott said. “You have to invest a little bit to get some in return.”
This story was originally published August 1, 2019 at 12:12 PM.
