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Welcome to the Celebration:
First established in 2002, the Celebration of Fire and Rescue Workers Everywhere Festival has grown from humble beginnings while many wonderful volunteers have helped keep this event growing.
After 911, Thomas W. Rogers realized there would be and should be annual memorials for the victums of that terrible day in history. However, in talking with others, as festival season continued, many pondered about how living Fire and Rescue Personell could also be Celebrated on a National Basis.
Here in Central Illinois, we celebrate pumpkins with festival, as well as popcorn, cherries, turkeys, bluegrass music, marigolds, and so much more, so why can't we Celebrate Fire and Rescue Workers Everywhere with a National Festival Day? So the more we talk to others about this, the more they want to join with us in this effort.
So on September 22, 2002, just 11 days after the first anniversary of 911, the Celebration of Fire and Rescue Workers Everywhere Festival was held to HONOR while raising funds for the Deer Creek Fire Protection District #1. You see, in small towns all across this great nation, in rural America, these Volunteers continue running into burning buildings as we run out of them. Today, known as the Fire and Rescue Festival, it continues to grow and we welcome you to become of a part of this wonderful Festival. It doesn't matter where you live, join in, start your own local Festival, regardless of size or location, because it is the right thing to do.
Many don't realize that in small town rural America that their Fire and Rescue District's and Company's struggle for funding, use Volunteer Personell and many rely on outdated equipment. So a National Festival Day could and would bring a great deal more attention to these wonderful efforts and struggling financial situations while also providing a way to HONOR those fabulous efforts. That is why it is also important that any Festival established for this purpose also is a non profit event to raise funds for those struggling Fire and Rescue Districts or Companys.
We believe the Fire and Rescue Festival should be held annually each year on the third weekend of September, approximately 11 days after each anniversary of 911 and should start at 9am with a Ceremony to HONOR Volunteer Fire and Rescue Workers. Antique Fire and Rescue Equipment should be proudly displayed at the front of the Festival as testimont to the equipment used over the years by these wonderful individuals.
<>Why a Festival?
If you ask yourself why individuals would want to hold a Festival to Celebrate Fire and Rescue Workers Everywhere, you might realize that there are men and woman in rural America who Volunteer to train and be available upon call 24 hours a day seven days a week just to be there when you need them. They struggle with funding for equipment, training, education and all of us involved with this Festival think that gallant effort requires Celebrating to bring National Attention to what they do for all of us while we attempt to raise funds for their financial situations. Cities and Towns all across America Celebrate everything from Pumpkins to Popcorn, Cheese to Potatoes, so we believe it should more important to Celebrate what these brave wonderful individuals do for us every day than to Celebrate some food product. We have National Holidays for Labor, for Presidents, Religious Holidays, Veterans, but have you ever wondered why we don't have one to HONOR the Fire and Recue Personell, which includes Police Officers in our opinion, who all run into dangerous situations while we are running out?
What is at a Fire and Rescue Festival?
Well, hopefully you and your family for starters. We believe this should always be a family orientated festival with something for everybody. Antique Fire Equipment, Antique Rescue Equipment, Classic Cars, Motorcyles, Antique Tractors, music, arts & crafts, games, kiddie rides, food, swap meet area, flea market, and maybe some day, a full fair complete with a parade and carnival rides, or, any part of these depending on where you start your festival. But the one thing you shouldn't find at this Festival is alcohol. The reason behind this is simply that these Fire and Rescue Personell, as well as Police Officers, regularly deal with the results of where we as a people have been drinking alcohol, whether we driving afterwards or simply doing something stupid. So, for that reason, we do not believe alocohol should be a part of the festival.
Where is the Festival?
The Festival is where you organize it and can be anything from a Lemonade Stand, to a full Festival with Carnival and Parade. Our first one was in Deer Creek Illinois, on September 22nd, 2002. In 2009, we hope to hold our Festival near The fire and rescue cause continues to grow while also struggles for all the typical reasons as we push forward.
2009 Festival Activities:
Opening Ceramony: 11am on third Sunday of September.
Park Creek Cruising Classics Car & Motorcycle Show Registration is from 9am thru 11am