The 27th Annual Jeffco Fire Engine Rally that was scheduled for Sept. 26 in Herculaneum has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our committee thought it was in the best interests of our organization and everybody who attends – our vendors, people who buy ads, people who support us – to cancel,” said Bill Haggard, president of the Jefferson County Fire Fighters Association and retired chief of the Herculaneum Fire Department. “We just thought it would be too risky due to COVID.”
The annual event typically draws representatives from emergency response agencies across Jefferson County, as well as from counties around the state, to participate in a parade featuring firetrucks, police cars, ambulances and other vehicles, which wind up at Herculaneum City Park, where they are on display. Sometimes a helicopter makes a landing during the event.
Another highlight of the Fire Engine Rally is a competition that has firefighters from various districts show off their skills.
“This is the first time it’s been canceled,” Haggard said. “We held off at first to see what happens. The Jefferson County Fair, Twin City Days and Arnold Days all canceled. We are disappointed we had to do it. You just can’t socially distance at a thing like this.”
He said the association intends to bring back the Fire Engine Rally in 2021.
