Along the line of starve a cold, feed a fever, I’ve had a minor epiphany about the narcissistic drama queens of life and the best way to deal with them, that being to ignore them.
Let them rant, threaten and lament the fates to an audience of one. Out of sight, out of mind.
And that leaves more time to recognize the good in the community, like the ongoing Southmont Volunteer Fire Company Jubilee, billed as the 50th such event. I’ve lived in the borough for about 37 of them and recall coming even before that.
The Southmont Jubilee, which too often in the past has been the equivalent of a week-long rain dance, has been blessed with great weather so far in 2023. Not only isn’t it raining, it doesn’t even threaten to do so. Magic.
I was discussing this Thursday night with a veteran member of the organizers and he seemed to recall a good week of weather a few years back. For the life of me, I can’t recall that.
My memories are more along the line of slogging through mud on the midway and the time they brought in some pretty odoriferous hay/straw that led to me throwing away the shoes I wore that night.
But we try to support the Jubilee annually because the firemen deserve it. Are there more selfless individuals than volunteer firemen? I can’t think of any.
They devote long hours to mandatory training, only to work for free to benefit the community. They constantly are forced into fund-raising roles, too, because, despite the fact that they provide a tangible benefit – just check what your homeowners insurance rates might be if there were no firemen handy – there are not enough allocations of funds or various grants to keep the whole thing going.
These jubilees are fading fast, too, because rising costs are limiting the net revenue. Fire departments are finding it easier to have a variety of other fund-raisers that don’t require the coordination, planning, cost, and volunteer manpower to man food booths and the like.
Oakland, the area of my early youth, long ago gave up the ghost on its fireman’s carnival. Ferndale, a traditional big event, has been toying with the idea of throwing in the towel in recent years.
But these affairs have a benefit beyond raising funds for a worthy cause. They provide the chance for community interaction, both for residents of the boroughs, and also the surrounding areas. I had some great conversations with friends at the event Thursday night.
My wife and I took two granddaughters and they enjoyed the parade, but requested next time I remember to bring ear protection for them to deal with blaring sirens.
Our fire company also has Santa ride through the neighborhoods before Christmas and if I’m around on that night, I try to slip them a donation by way of a check.
That reminds me, I’ve been late to submit a check for the fund-raising tickets I got not that long ago. But time remains and I’m not really counting on winning the money.
What I am counting on is these events continuing and people showing some generosity toward their local volunteer fire departments, who deserve all the support they can get, and more.
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