All Hail

This is former Chief Engineer Young - dates of service not yet known but we will find out.  He is resplendent in dress uniform and wonderful hat.  Fire Department Volunteers are an interesting lot in our little village.  We plan to write about them often here not only because they have a fair amount of archival pictures hanging about town but mainly because they "do good work". 

They don't get paid.  We don't think they ever were compensated for their work.  It makes these volunteers all the more interesting.  There is some small small small pension that the village provides after about a zillion years of public service so if anyone gets into this for the money or tells you that and you swallow that bait - we have bridge to sell you.  We see them a lot around here as the sirens go off now and then and cars with blue lights race up the streets to meet the emergency vehicles like some skitter bugs on water.  They have been to our very neighborhood in the past half year and have arrived in jig time must to our relief and assurance that some things do work and work nearly perfectly.

In the summer, they have a famous chicken dinner that about 1,200 people attend and a thousand more could if they didn't sell out. The famous Martha Stewart asked for the marinade recipe which we know but we are not telling not to be snippy but it isn't ours, it is theirs, and if it is for the telling let them tell it.

Life and property are much safer here because of these fine folks.  Chief Engineer Young has much to be proud of in his gallant pose and the village is better off for him.  (I'm sure he was criticized for not cutting the grass but we won't say a word).