There was a great turnout for the South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department (SGLVFD) Auxiliary Community Day at the Fire Hall on July 30.
SGLVFD Fire Chief Roger Graham said he was very pleased with the event.
“It went very well and there was a great turnout.”
He noted the Community Day was a lot busier than the Open House event the SGLVFD hosted this past spring.
“There was a much younger crowd than the people who showed up for the Open House.”
Graham said the youngsters had a lot of fun spraying water at the targets the firefighters put up.
They got to spray water from a fire hose and nozzle, which gave them a feeling of what the firefighters do at a fire event.
The fire chief added the younger visitors really enjoyed the fish pond, “and every child won a prize.”
Event co-organizer Kathy Traynor was also pleased with the way Community Day went over, with local and part-time residents and visitors being full of smiles during the two-hour event.
“We nearly sold out of pies. There were a lot of purchases at the hot dog and beverage and ice cream tables. We did very well financially. All of the revenue went to the auxiliary.”
The auxiliary uses the money it makes from these events and the bottle drives to help purchase items for the firefighters.
Traynor said it was too bad the FireSmart mascot Ember couldn’t come to the event because there were a lot of young children who would have liked getting a hug from the lovable fox.
She added there was a lot of activity both inside and outside of the fire hall.
The kids loved the fish pond and getting on the fire trucks, beeping the horn and turning on the sirens, she said, adding there was a lot going on inside the fire hall for the youngsters, including the Kid’s Zone for colouring and crafts, plastic fire hats and tattoo stickers.
They also picked up swag at the local FireSmart crew’s table and candy at the FireSmart landscaping information table, which provided information on wildfire-resistant flowers, plants and trees that would flourish in the local growing zone.
There was also a lot of interest in the wildfire history map presented by Local FireSmart Representative and SGLVFD Assistant Fire Chief Bob Bell, which showed the wildfires that burned around the South Green Lake and proved it isn’t a matter of if a wildfire will threaten the South Green Lake community, but rather it’s a matter of when a wildfire will threaten the community.
Thompson-Nicola Regional District employee Emily Branch was extremely busy answering recycling questions from people who visited her booth.
Traynor said she is looking forward to adding a few tweaks to the event next year. She added the local Firesmart crew will work hard to bring Ember to Community Day 2023.
Noting it was nice to see people interacting again after two years of COVID-19 safety measures, Graham said he definitely wants to carry on with a Community Day next year.
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