Firefighters to cook food for gear at Saturday's annual picnic
Karen Peterson photo
A playhouse will be auctioned off at the 19th annual Fireman’s Picnic Saturday, June 22 in St. Ignatius.
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ST. IGNATIUS — Even at 3 a.m. firefighters volunteer to gather at the St. Ignatius Fire Department to assistance in an emergency.
“We gear up to help,” said firefighter Ray Frey. “If it’s three in the morning, we get out of bed.”
A connection to community inspired Scott Morton to volunteer for 21 years. He’s “retired” now but still believes in the importance of volunteering.
“It’s about community,” said Morton. “These small towns wouldn’t exist without volunteers.”
The firefighters do their part to help and they’re asking everyone else to help by attending the 19th annual Fireman’s Picnic on Saturday.
“The picnic is designed for everyone,” Frey said. “People can eat. They can sign up for the silent auction and the live auction, play games at the carnival and take a chariot ride.”
Frey helped organize all of the 19 picnics.
“It’s grown from basically a yard sale to what it is now,” he said.
It’s grown substantially but the past few years have seen a decline in the amount of money raised.
“It’s the economy,” he said. “People come but they just don’t have the money to spend. They still support it. This community has always been very supportive.”
Every penny counts, even if people only show up to enjoy the feast.
“There is something for everyone even if they just eat. We’ve got a whole beef, four pigs and 30 turkeys. We start cooking the day before the picnic,” Frey said.
It takes all year to organize the event, according to Frey.
“We have to plan everything in advance: tents, bathrooms, distributors, getting auction items and extra trash cans. It’s not a one-day thing to plan this. We have to pay for it all. It’s not free. It’s set up by the firefighters and their families,” he said.
The department uses the revenue from the picnic to keep the fire department running.
“We need typical things: radios and gear,” Frey said. “Our gear has a date on it. If you got hurt wearing out-of-date gear you could have a conflict with the insurance. The gear costs $2,000 for one guy, and we have to get new gear for each new volunteer. We can’t hand down gear because of liability. But that shouldn’t stop new volunteers. We always need new volunteers.”
The department accepts donations of any kind.
“People can bring items for the auction to the picnic if that is easier,” Frey said. “We’ll accept it.”
Donations can be made in advance by calling (406) 745-4190.
