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2015 Area Fall Festivals LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.COM September 15, 2015
Middletown Firemen's Fall Festival
serves up lots of family fun
MIDDLETOWN - On September 25 and 26,
2015 the Middletown Fire Department hosted the
town's Fall Festival Events included a community
dinner, a service to honor veterans, and musical
entertainment in addition to a 5K glow run,
parade, firemen's water ball challenges, kid's
games, carnival rides, food stands and vendors.
The festival helped mark the 60th anniversary of
the fire department and replaced the homecoming
festival the town normally celebrates. Located
in west central Logan County and east central
Menard County, the Middletown Fire Protection
District was formed in 1955 and serves a 36
square mile area. District was formed in 1955
and serves a 36 square mile area. They respond to
mutual aid calls throughout both counties. Chief
Josh Gasparini noted they have worked with the
Lincoln rural fire department at various times.
Assistant chief Scott Schriber stated that the
festival "lets us get into the community and
lets people see what we do." Honoring the
department's heritage, Schriber drove his 1966
fire truck, one originally purchased
brand new by the fire department in
its early years.
One of the main events on Saturday
afternoon was the Firefighter's Water
Ball Fight, a contest in which two-
three man teams attempt to force a
water keg suspended from a cable
past a line on the other team’s side
using the high pressure spray of a
fire hose. As in the game of tug-
of-war, the team that moves the
furthest wins. Schriber said there is
a lot of friendly bantering between
the teams made up of various fire
departments.
In addition to two teams from the Middletown fire
department, teams from the Mason City, San Jose,
and Lincoln Rural Fire departments competed in
the water fights. The Mason City Fire department
won first place in the competition followed by
San Jose in second place, Lincoln in third place,
and the two Middletown teams in fourth and fifth
place.
Following the firefighter's challenge, children
had a chance to compete in a similar water ball
game, though they used hoses to move a colorful
basketball suspended from a rope.
In the children's challenges the groups were split
up by age groups with Jayden Withers, Kindall
Helton and Orion Monday winning in the six and
under category; Malena Kirgan, Rhett Pharis and
Miranda Nelson winning in the age seven to nine
category; and Dominic Blair, Chloe Davison and
Mya Kirgan winning in the 10 and up category.
The winners will get to ride to school in a fire
truck.
Shay Smith and the dancing Minions
