The Friendship Firehouse Festival is a family event celebrating the special role firefighters have played throughout history. The festival, held at the historic Friendship Firehouse in Old Town Alexandria, features antique fire apparatus, craft booths, live musical entertainment by the Lump Dog Band and displays by Alexandria merchants. Children will receive free fire helmets and balloons and will be treated to supervised visits where they can become “co-passengers” inside the City’s fire trucks.
In addition to the outdoor festival events, the Friendship Firehouse Museum will offer tours. The building was originally built as a firehouse in 1855, remodeled in 1871 and was restored to its original condition in 1992. The Engine Room on the first floor showcases historic fire-fighting equipment, including hand-drawn fire engines, leather water buckets, axes, and sections of early rubber hose. The second floor houses exhibits on the Friendship Fire Company – known as “George Washington’s Fire Company” – which was Alexandria’s first fire company and has been a source of civic pride since its founding in 1774.
The Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association sponsors the festival each year on the first Saturday in August. The Friendship Fire Company is now a philanthropic organization that remains active in community events and is dedicated to preserving fire-fighting history and promoting fire safety.
Date and Time: August 4, 2012, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location: South Alfred Street between Prince and King Streets. These streets will be closed off to traffic for the event. See a map of Alexandria
Admission: FREE
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