On Aug. 2, the Rindge Fire Department will hold a special event marking 100 years since the founding of the department, including a parade, fireworks and festivities on the Town Common.
The common is the site of the incident that spurred the creation of the department — a fire on April 8, 1925 that destroyed multiple buildings, including the post office, general store, three homes, three barns and a garage. The next month, the Rindge Fire Company was established.
The celebration will start at 4:30 p.m., when the parade will line up before the procession beginning at 5 p.m., The parade will feature two historic fire engines, including a 1925 REO/Howe pumper, the first truck purchased by the Rindge Fire Company — currently owned and recently restored by the Sunderland Fire Department in Massachusetts — and a 1936 Dodge/Howe, now owned by the Rindge Firefighters Association.
Other fire departments have been invited to join the celebration by sending their own apparatus, whether vintage or modern. Trophies will be awarded for various categories of best-presenting vehicles.
All past members of the Rindge Fire Department and Fire Company are invited to attend and participate in the parade. Following the parade, festivities continue on the common, with a touch-a-truck event, lawn games and activities and fireworks at dusk.