For Immediate Release...
We’re getting “fired” up! Friday night, June 23rd, things start heating-up at Aurora’s Downtown Alive. The band is Hot Rocks, but they are not the only ones that will be firing up the crowd during this week’s free Friday night event in the downtown. Throughout the evening, the Aurora Fire Department will be conducting specialized firefighting demonstrations, and providing fire safety information and training. Antique fire apparatus will be on display, and the Aurora Regional Fire Museum’s 1850s hand pumped fire engine will be operated for the crowd. The next day, beginning at 1:00 p.m. on the afternoon of Saturday, June 24th, fire apparatus of all colors, shapes, sizes, and vintages, along with fire department marching units and bagpipe and drum corps will parade through the streets of downtown Aurora. We hope to attract more than 100 units, making it one of the largest fire-service parades in the state’s recent history, but wait, the fun won’t stop when that procession ends… Once the parade ends — the north end of Broadway, near the Aurora Regional Fire Museum and Aurora’s Central Fire Station, will be transformed into a veritable three-ring-circus of activities for the entire family. The barbecue will be hot, and the beverages cold, as firefighters from near and far, their families, and the general public are welcome to tour the Aurora Regional Fire Museum, try their hand in our bucket-brigade and water-ball contests, shop in the firematic flea market area, and enjoy the various demonstrations that will be going on throughout the afternoon. See how fire sprinklers work, witness room “flashover” and watch firefighters quench a liquid propane gas fire. Antique fire apparatus will be pumping, old-fashioned steam engines will be steaming, and the Aurora Fire Department’s specialized teams will be rappelling from a tower, diving in the Fox River, and suiting up in haz-mat suits. Teams from four area fire departments will be competing in an automobile extrication challenge, and children will be encouraged to learn and practice the latest fire safety techniques. Pork chops and chicken will be available from Fay’s Barbeque; Lootens’ will be boiling corn using their vintage Minneapolis Steam Tractor, and a variety of other vendors will be selling hot dogs, ice cream, popcorn, cotton candy, drinks, and beer. As the afternoon’s activities cool-down, the popular Chicago-area band “Generations” will heat up the crowd with music from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. On Sunday, June 25, the mood turns more reflective. At 1:00pm, a non-denomination memorial service will be held at the Aurora Regional Fire Museum to remember those who have died while members of the Aurora Fire Department. Following the service, firefighters and fire department honor guard units will dedicate historical markers at the two sites where Aurora firefighters were killed in the line of duty. The afternoon will culminate with a reunion picnic for members — past and present — families, and friends of the Aurora Fire Department and those in our community that wish to say thanks for continuing the 150 year legacy of service. To find out more about any of these events, log on to www.AuroraRegionalFireMuseum.org |
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