June 11, 2007

Festival garners huge turnout

       Festival patrons came by the hundreds to be a part of the fire department's Strawberry Festival at the Pleasant Grove Elementary School over the weekend.  "Finally, good weather!", proclaimed Captain Kevin Skipper, who was responsible for leading the various groups in putting the two-day event together.  Rain has plagued the annual event almost every year since its inception over fifteen years ago.  "Over the years, there have been several occasions of extremely cool weather, severe thunderstorms, and oppressive heat, but never have we had two full days of perfect conditions", Skipper added.  In fact, because of the ideal weather, more patrons, by far, attended the festival than in any other year.  This unfortunately led to a premature sellout of nearly every food item by about 8:30pm on Saturday.  "We tried to keep up and replenish what we could, but we cleaned out all of the nearby grocery stores scrambling to get what we could", remarked Lieutenant Tony Slusher, who was the weekend Kitchen Manager.  "We gave it our best and extend an apology to those who we could not serve", Tony added.

         The rest of the festival went on as planned with the various displays and shows put on by the fire department.  Among the favorites are the First Water Competition and the Extrication Demonstration.  The First Water Competition allows various teams of four firefighters to compete for the best time in connecting three sections of hose, flowing water, and knocking a basketball off of a pylon about fifty feet away.  This year's winner with a time of just under thirty-seven seconds was a team from the Needham Fire Department.  The other crowd favorite is the Extrication Demonstration where the fire department simulates a serious traffic accident where a victim is trapped inside.  With a step-by-step narration of what is going on, firefighters use various tools and equipment, including the Jaws of Life, to remove the car from around the victim.  Meanwhile, the simulated Incident Commander summons LifeLine medical helicopter from Methodist Hospital, which is called and then actually flown to the scene.  The 'incident' is concluded when the simulated victim is placed in the helicopter and is transported to the hospital.  The entire show, conducted in near real-time, was completed in twenty-two minutes, which showcases the extremely efficient EMS system that is in place.

        There were plenty of other activities that went on including hot air balloon rides by RE/MAX, the Sound the Siren 5K Fun Run sponsored by the White River Township Rotary Club, static fire apparatus and aircraft displays, antique cars and fire apparatus also on display, a visit by a few Colts Cheerleaders, a static display of the Johnson County EMA Command Vehicle, HAM radio operators, and a Blood Drive by the Central Indiana Blood Center.  The event was closed out as usual by a fifteen minute fireworks show by the International Fireworks Merchandisers, who also put together the annual Sky Concert display on Labor Day weekend.

         Although the weekend was a huge success, it could not have been possible without the generous donations of time, money, and supplies by the many individuals and companies who participated.  A very special thanks goes to the Steak-n-Shake corporation for its continued and generous support of the event, year after year, as well as the Center Grove School Corporation for the use of the school.  The entire festival is paid for by revenues charged for the food items along with donations.  Any surplus generated is placed back into the next year's event either through new equipment purchases or additional entertainment. 

           

           

           

           
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