The Hancock Fire Department is hosting a free spaghetti supper for the community this Saturday.
“Basically, it’s a thank you to the community for their support,” Fire Chief Tom Bates said, and a way for the community to meet members of the Department and vice versa. “People seem to know the guys on the Fire Department,” he said, but that it’s harder sometimes for the members to meet people in town, unless they’re out on a call.
“We haven’t had anything like this for years,” Bates said.
The Fire Department hosts a chicken barbecue during Old Home Days and has collaborated with the Winter Frolic in the past, he said, but he and other members were seeking to recreate community dinners they’d hosted as part of Fire Departments in other parts of the country.
Bates himself recalls pancake breakfasts drawing crowds of up to 800 when he was working for a fire department in the Midwest. He said he wanted to re-create that kind of an opportunity, where community members can “stop by and enjoy themselves, hobnob with their neighbors, talk to people.”
The Fire Department is grateful for the donations they’ve received from the community over the years, Bates said, which typically goes to rescue equipment upgrades, as well as taxpayer support. Last year the department received a new fire truck.
“That’s a big expenditure,” Bates said, and sees the supper as a good opportunity for the community to learn about what services they’re funding, as well as how the all-volunteer department gets the job done despite having an unmanned station.
There are 25 members of the volunteer force, Bates said, as well as eight members of the fire department auxiliary. The department is always looking for new volunteers, Bates said, particularly young people – although he said he understands volunteer time is at a premium.
“We haven’t done this for a long time, so we’re keeping it nice and easy and small,” Bates said of Saturday’s supper. “We’re not charging anything for it, although donations are gratefully accepted.”
The Fire Department Auxiliary will be raffling gift baskets during the dinner, he said. The supper is planned for Saturday, Feb. 22, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the fire station, 40 Bennington Road, Hancock.