By Rory J. Thompson, RVCFD
The festivities kick off with an old-fashioned drill on Friday evening, July 22. The event, beginning at 6 p.m. takes place at Fireman's Memorial Field next to South Side High School, at the end of Shepherd Street.
There, firefighters from numerous surrounding communities will participate in ladder and hose contests the old-fashioned way, supplying the muscle-and sweat-power themselves. The evening concludes with the perennial crowd-pleaser, the Bucket Brigade.
"We're looking forward to an evening of laughs and excitement," Chief Grandazza said. "We're pleased to be able to host this family-friendly show, while at the same time presenting some critical firefighting skills. We invite everyone to come on by, have a hot dog and watch the fun."
Another tournament takes place Saturday morning, but this time the teams will be running their so-called "B" and "C" rigs, motorized vehicles that have been modified for the ladder and hose contests. That drill kicks off at 9 a.m., and will run through the afternoon.
Saturday evening, the streets of Rockville Centre will be filled with music as dozens of fire departments march in competition. The parade, stepping off at 6 p.m., begins at Maple Avenue and Long Beach Road, and continues west toward a gala block party at the finish line, at Front Street and North Centre Avenue. The block party takes place in the parking lot behind Washington Mutual bank. The party will continue until the parade winners are announced.
