by Joseph Back

The Minnesota Fire Engine Club will be holding a “Pumpers on the

Mississippi” _re truck demonstration

event at Jaycee Park in Hastings on August 8, 2020, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The public is invited to come and enjoy the show, though all safety protocols related to COVID-19 will be followed, and those without boats are asked to watch at a distance. The Minnesota Fire Engine Club is a registered 501c 3 non-pro_t organization dedicated to the preservation, restoration and appreciation of antique _re equipment. Its 35 members own their own _re trucks and there are several husband and wife teams, as was related by the Club’s public information of_cer Leonard Schrader.

“We’re truck owners,” Schrader

related of the _re engine enthusiasts,

adding that the club had both men and women as well as young and old people, welcoming any and all who want to join. The Minnesota Fire Engine Club is an organization which goes around and puts on shows where they turn on the hoses and use LED lights to create colorful displays for local residents. It started almost _ve

decades ago.

Back then, two men named Ken Slipka and Ken Peterson would drive their _re trucks to the Diamondhead Mall in Burnsville for coffee on weekends. The meeting of the two men became well-known and turned into the Burnsville Fire Muster, which then gave birth to the Minnesota Fire Engine Club with Slipka and Peterson as members Meanwhile at the 2007 Burnsville Fire Muster, a record was set, with people from all over the country coming with their _re trucks to have 353 _re trucks

in one place. The record has since been surpassed in Pennsylvania.

Returning to the local scene, the Minnesota Fire Engine Club which meets on the second Saturday of every month is looking forward to putting on a show for the Hastings community this upcoming August 8, which Schrader said may be the only metro area event this year, given conditions. Why not come out and watch from a distance with your family?

Meanwhile, those who may be interested in joining the Fire Engine Club have only to _ll out an application under the “join” tab on the group’s website at www.mnfec.com. “That’s about it,” Schrader related of the details to join Schrader also shared that interested corporate sponsors can contact the group on its website, and while the event is free to the public, donations do go a long way toward helping cover the cost of the show. Come out and enjoy the fun August 8 from 6-10 p.m. at Jaycee Park!

Members of the Minnesota Fire Engine Club pose with a club banner. Top row, left to right: Gary Lawrence, Len Schrader, Henley McNulty, Dan McGraw, Ross Leonard and Dusty Thine. Bottom row, left to right: Sheryl Schrader with Pat Higgins Michelle Higgins. Image courtesy MFEC website.