Turn up the heat for the annual fire truck festival – Salisbury Post

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SPENCER — The hottest event of the year returns this month to the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer as the museum hosts the annual Fire Truck Festival on June 22. This favorite family gathering of fire trucks and fire departments from across the region is the largest. year-round one-day event at the NC Transportation Museum. Visitors to the Spencer Historic District Museum can enjoy the Fire Truck Festival from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The museum, located in what was once Southern Railway's Spencer Shops facility for maintaining steam locomotives, has a strong connection to firefighting. The Spencer Shops Fire Department was founded in the 1920s to combat any potential fires in the Southern Railway's workshops. The department consisted of three teams of 11 men each, operating 2,000 feet of two-and-a-half-inch fire hose. With many Southern Railway employees living in nearby towns, firefighters from the Spencer Shops Fire Department also responded to calls from the nearby community, lending a hand to local fire departments, which relied on volunteers and could not be available to fight fires. at any time of the day.

A wide variety of vintage and modern fire trucks will be on display for photo ops. Firefighters will be available to visit families throughout the day.

“This is one of our favorite events, in large part because the fire departments are so welcoming and willing to talk with families about the important work they do,” said Kelly Alexander, NC executive director. Transportation Museum.

The Fire Truck Festival is sponsored by Atlantic Emergency Solutions, compleatKiDZ and Norfolk Southern.

“An event like this would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors and partners,” said Alexander.

Joining the fun will be NC Forestry, the Charlotte Fire Department Safety Education Team and Atrium Health’s Children’s Specialty Helicopter and Ambulance. Other activities throughout the day will include discovery cards for children, inflatables, jaws of life demonstrations, a children's firefighter costume contest, model train displays and much more.

Train rides will run all day at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and can be combined with festival admission for $18 adults, $16 seniors/military, $14 for children aged 3 to 12. age and free for members and children under 3 years old. Entrance to the festival without the train ride is half the price of combined tickets. Access to the museum's regular exhibitions is also included with every ticket. NC sales tax and ticketing fees are extra. Advanced purchase is highly recommended.

The festivities will end with the popular fire truck parade starting at 3:30 p.m.

For more information about the festival, a full schedule of events and activities, and to purchase tickets, visit www.nctransportationmuseum.org/fire-truck-festival or call the NC Transportation Museum at 704-636-2889.