Proceeds from annual meat sale to help restore firetruck
Members of the East Dundee Firefighters’ Association are counting on good weather, lucky numbers and hungry participants to bring a relic to their new fire station.
If they raise enough money from their third annual meat sale, they will be able to restore a 1934 fire truck that was used during the better part of the 20th century.
“We don’t know how much it’s going to cost for the parts or restoration,” said Paula Roland, association treasurer. “We’re hoping we can display it at the new firehouse.”
That fire station will be built along Route 25, north of Route 72.
If history is any guide, the association will raise from $2,000 to $3,000 from the sale, which is scheduled from 3-11 p.m. Saturday, July 13, in Max Freeman Park. If that is not enough to complete the project, it may take a few years of meat sales to restore and polish the vehicle.
During the sale, participants buy $1 tickets and, with the turn of a numbered wheel, hope to win packages of chicken, brats, pork chops, turkeys and hams. Admission to the sale is free and so is the entertainment. The group the Belvederes will perform during the sale.
In the past, hundreds of participants have attended what has become the lone fundraiser for the East Dundee Firefighters’ Association. The money raised has been used to buy equipment and protective clothing for firefighters.
In November 2012, voters gave fire district trustees permission to sell bonds to build the station. It will replace the 50-year-old firehouse that is being used on Third Street. Trustees hope to break ground for the new station this month.
If construction stays on schedule, it will be completed in 2014.
The 1934 truck was purchased and used before the existing fire house was built. Moving it to the new station will remind East Dundee residents of the growth and progress the fire district has experienced in the last 80 years, Roland said.
The new fire station will be another reminder. Its location is more central in the fire district that reaches into the Cook County communities of Barrington Hills and South Barrington.
Tickets for the meat sale can be purchased in advance by calling Roland at (847) 426-7521.