Amenia Fire Company revives summer tradition

Amenia Fire Company revives summer tradition
From left, Adam Eckstrom nabbed a cold drink and a hamburger hot off the grill to enjoy alongside his daughter Holiday, her friend Pickle Gutierrez and Pickle’s mother, Jeanne. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle

AMENIA — Though the official start to summer is still a week away, the Amenia Fire Company gathered together all the makings of some summertime fun as it hosted Carnival Food Night on Saturday, June 12.

For more than 80 years, the fire company hosted a carnival, according to Capt. Andy Murphy. Yet as with many wonderful traditions, Murphy said people lost interest as the years went by and it became more and more difficult to organize, given the manpower involved and the costs. He said it took three weeks to do so, with a week set aside for planning and then another week to set up the carnival and rides.

By hosting Carnival Food Night, Murphy said it’s much easier for the fire company to have “a one-day event versus having to work a whole week with a carnival and rides.” Considering how well-received its last few drive-thru barbecues have been, he was hopeful about how Saturday’s event would turn out.

“It’s good for us to keep out there in the community and have people come out and support us,” Murphy said.

Indeed, smiles abounded last Saturday afternoon as area residents reconnected with friends they hadn’t seen in many months to enjoy some much-anticipated fun at the firehouse on Mechanic Street. 

The event ran from 4 to 9 p.m.; food was available at the pavilion or for takeout. From steak sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs and sausage and pepper sandwiches to French fries, fried dough and fried Oreos, the aroma of sizzling carnival-style fare hot off the grill caused mouths to water. Volunteers could be heard calling out food orders to each other, providing customers with their orders in a matter of minutes.

Kids, meanwhile, played kickball, soccer and wiffleball on the grass while adults took their chances at the 50/50 raffle and perfected their aim at the many corn hole stations, later competing in a corn hole contest.

Providing the soundtrack for the pre-summertime fun, DJ Justin from Outsiders Entertainment streamed everything from classic rock to Motown. Behind the firehouse pavilion sat a large stack of cut wood in anticipation of the evening’s bonfire, which set the sky ablaze and helped bring the night to a satisfying end.

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