By Jason Klaiber
Staff Writer
Raising a toast to the village’s 175th anniversary and its own history, the Fayetteville Fire Department’s active and life members gathered last week for a celebratory dinner at the Craftsman Inn & Suites restaurant.
From the days of bucket brigades to the modern world of firefighting, the department has made advances in equipment and strides in call response time since its founding in 1845, one year after the village’s incorporation.
“There’s a lot of history in this department, from its inception back in the 1800s up until now,” Joe Shernesky, the president of the Fayetteville Fireman’s Association, said.
The hotel on East Genesee Street sponsored the evening event on June 13 as a way of thanking the department for its calls and inspections over the years.
“We have a great community here in Fayetteville,” Shernesky, who has served as a firefighter in the village for the past 28 years, said.
He said the Fayetteville community has continually shown its support, donating the funds to help with firehouse renovations, additionally giving positive feedback at events such as open houses.
With musical accompaniment and a steady flow of food and drinks, the event had been organized to be a “relaxing” night full of camaraderie.
The gathering on the Craftsman Inn patio also served as the fire department’s monthly business meeting, albeit in condensed form.
During the meeting, Schernesky and Fire Chief Paul Hildreth handed out plaques to life members who were not present at the village’s awarding ceremony on Memorial Day.
In continued celebration of the village’s 175th anniversary, other upcoming events involving the fire department include a golf tournament in August and a community mixer at the firehouse planned to take place in the fall.
According to Shernesky, the fire department had been known around the village for its annual mixers in past decades, so bringing the fundraiser back seemed fitting for such a major anniversary.
“It’s something that we moved away from in 2005 just as times have changed and participation had kind of lacked a little,” Shernesky said.
The fire department will be part of the Party in the Plaza events, the first of which will occur on Limestone Plaza and Brooklea Drive on Thursday, June 20.
