BELFAST, Maine — Waldo County, get ready — the firefighters are coming to town.
Next weekend, for the first time ever, the small midcoast county will host the Maine State Federation of Firefighters Convention. Chief Bill Gillespie of the Liberty Volunteer Fire Department and the Waldo County Firefighters Organization said that county firefighters have been working hard for three years now to pull it off.
“We’re going to have a parade Saturday that will run right through downtown Belfast for two hours at least,” he said. “It’ll be the city’s biggest parade since the Broiler Festival.”
The hours-long event will begin at Belfast Area High School at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, and finish between 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. at Belfast City Park. It will progress down High Street and Northport Avenue and will showcase antique fire trucks, Shrine vehicles, bands, floats and more, he said. The parade is a signature event in the annual firefighters convention, which now is in its 52nd year, and which will bring nearly 2,000 people to Waldo County, Gillespie estimated.
The city has posted an alert on its website cautioning visitors about traffic being blocked off except for emergency vehicles during the parade on High Street and Northport Avenue.
The chief said he is proud of how hard the county’s volunteer firefighters have worked to raise money and to make sure their brethren from around the state have a good time. So far, they have raised $74,000 for the event by holding fundraisers such as spaghetti suppers and dances and by selling things like Christmas trees and T-shirts. Gillespie said that by the time the convention is over, the Waldo County firefighters’ group will have raised their ultimate goal of $100,000. The funds will be used to rent the facility at Point Lookout in Northport, where the convention will be held, and to pay for the commemorative merchandise such as T-shirts and hats. Any profit will go toward a scholarship fund for firefighter training at the county’s facility in Waldo.
While firefighters from departments around the state are in Waldo County, Gillespie said he hopes they’ll enjoy spending time away from the convention halls.
“They’ll enjoy local amenities such as restaurants and shops. They’ll enjoy the scenery, the nearby state parks, and give a boost to the economy a week after Labor Day,” Gillespie said.
The camaraderie that will occur among firefighters during the gatherings will be very important, he said.
“It’s good for us to get together and talk about good experiences and bad experiences,” Gillespie said. “We’ve had a lot of fire fatalities around the state this year. We’ll probably talk about that.”